Frosty weeds and closing spray windows

Frosty weeds and closing spray windows

Variables like weed species and recent and expected frosts will weigh into management decisions

Add the weather forecast into your calculations when planning fall weed control. It’s prime weed control season for perennial weeds like Canada thistle and winter annuals and acting now can help you, come spring. “A lot of the winter annuals are starting to become problems because if we don’t do any kind of control in

Herbicides and horses

Herbicides and horses

Horse Health: A ubiquitous herbicide is beginning to come under increased scrutiny by scientists

The implications for the widespread use of glyphosate-based herbicides in our environment has been increasingly mired in controversy despite regulatory assurances of safety. After close to three decades of use there is a growing body of scientific evidence emerging which presents unintended biological consequences of this chemical and its formulation. Research is postulating adverse mechanisms



Herbicide-resistant wild oats are still controlled by glyphosate — for now.

Now’s the time to find resistant weeds

Herbicide-resistant weeds are on the rise and pre-harvest is a good time to find them

Delaying the onset of herbicide-resistant weeds isn’t a lost cause. In fact the more vigilant a farmer is the more success they’ll have, says Ingrid Kristjanson, a farm production extension specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development (MARD). With farmers checking crop maturity as harvest grows near, it is also a good time to scout


Dicamba-resistant Palmer amaranth is showing up in Tennessee. Farmers there are already in a battle with glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth.

Dicamba-resistant Palmer amaranth found in U.S.

Farmers there started growing dicamba-tolerant soybeans in 2016

The list of herbicide-resistant weeds continues to grow. Dicamba-resistant Palmer amaranth weeds have been found in parts of Tennessee, University of Tennessee Extension weed specialist Larry Steckel wrote in a July blog. “Results from some of the greenhouse experiments this winter and spring, as well as in-field research this growing season, would suggest that our

Weather conditions that can volatilize dicamba herbicide

Weather conditions that can volatilize dicamba herbicide

Avoid applying all herbicides during temperature inversions too

In addition to drift caused by wind the herbicide dicamba can end up off target due to volatilization, also referred to as vapour drift, and temperature inversions. Last week’s stories on dicamba (see ‘Related Articles’ below) prompted a reader to ask about the weather conditions for both. The University Minnesota explains it on its website


A dicamba-damaged soybean plant.

Canadian, U.S. farmers diverge on dicamba spray issues

While U.S. farmers have been devastated by dicamba drift, it’s been a non-issue in Canada

Canadian farmers haven’t experienced the same dicamba drift debacle their U.S. neighbours have — but that doesn’t mean they won’t also pay a price for this high-profile failure. Spray expert Tom Wolf says a cooler climate and differences in the way the product is used here have spared Canada the worst immediate effects. The bill

Dicamba spray drift declining in Canada

The climate and how the herbicide is used here both are factors

There haven’t been many dicamba drift complaints in Canada since Monsanto commercialized dicamba-resistant soybeans in 2016. In 2019 Health Canada received just “16 reports of dicamba-related environment incidents in Canada related to drift and over-the-top application of dicamba to soybean,” a Health Canada official wrote in an email June 10. Health Canada, which regulates pesticides in Canada through the


Precautions to take when applying dicamba

Precautions to take when applying dicamba

The best way to avoid dicamba drift is to follow label directions. Although dicamba can be applied to Xtend soybeans from pre-emergence to early flowering, applying pre-emergence has advantages. One is if your crop isn’t up, your neighbour’s might not be either and can’t be damaged by drift. “Dicamba provides residual control for a short

Chemical enters at the end of the boom before flowing through the nozzles and back towards the tank.

Breaking down the recirculating sprayer boom

Non-profit Sprayers 101 demonstrates the concept and benefits of a recirculating sprayer system

Looking at the back of a modern sprayer the pile of hoses and valves in a traditional plumbing system can seem complicated, and even more so when you start to look at recirculating sprayer booms. Hoping to mitigate that confusion, Dr. Tom Wolf and Dr. Jason Deveau have “Everything you never wanted to know about