Kochia seedlings.

Weeds develop defences

Kochia gets hairy and lamb’s quarters get waxy under harsh conditions

Kochia was emerging in Manitoba fields last week and most of it is presumed resistant to Group 2 herbicides, says Manitoba Agriculture weed specialist Tammy Jones. Many could also be glyphosate tolerant, but it’s hard to know to what extent, she said in an interview April 24. “I know that it is distributed fairly thoroughly

Glyphosate residues on grain are an increasing concern among consumers,  Fisher Branch farmer Paul Gregory told the Canadian Grain Commission’s assistant chief commissioner Doug Chorney at KAP’s meeting April 2. Chorney said Canada’s grain is safe.

Canadian grain is safe, Grain Commission’s Chorney says

The Canadian Grain Commission is aware of rising 
consumer concerns about glyphosate residues

Canadian grain is safe when it comes to pesticide residues, says Doug Chorney, assistant chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). “We’re very sensitive in our current monitoring programs to these concerns,” Chorney said here April 2 at the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) advisory council meeting. During a question period Fisher Branch farmer Paul


A high clearance sprayer on a field in a prairie landscape

Farmers urged to ‘Keep it Clean in 2019’

Be aware of the pesticides buyers don’t want applied to certain crops

Read and always follow the label directions when applying pesticide. That’s one of the messages Brenna Mahoney, Cereals Canada’s director of communications and stakeholder relations, hopes farmers take away from the updated Keep it Clean website. By doing so Canadian farmers can help ensure international markets stay open, Mahoney said in an interview April 12.

Manitoba Agriculture’s 2018 in-season survey now documents 12 municipalities with glyphosate-resistant kochia.

Glyphosate-resistant kochia confirmed in 12 municipalities in 2018

Testing is the only way to confirm how widespread glyphosate-resistant kochia is in Manitoba

When Tammy Jones’ phone rang last year as often as not it was farmers fed up with kochia spreading in their fields. The Manitoba Agriculture weeds specialist dubbed the tumbleweed ‘weed of 2018,’ in a talk at St. Jean Farm Days last week. “We saw a lot of it,” she said. “It felt like anyone


Dry conditions can have lingering effects like higher pesticide residue levels that must be managed at the farm level to protect trade opportunities.

A risky business

Moisture extremes are just one of the realities that make farming in Manitoba a real challenge and can affect trade

In recent years grain production in Manitoba has been batted from one weather extreme to another. There have been cool, wet seasons and hot, dry seasons. And each leave effects that linger far after the last bushel is harvested that can have big and unpredictable effects like a trade crisis because of an unexpected herbicide

spraying farm field agriculture working equipment fragment

Opinion: The glyphosate challenge

The roller-coaster ride for the use of glyphosate continues due to recent rulings in California and Brazil. These decisions have been closely watched by both those who see the need to use this product and by those who are concerned about its effects on human health. Recently a California judge rejected Monsanto’s appeal of a


Comment: A more transparent regulatory system is key to public trust

The deepening controversy over glyphosate is only the tip of the iceberg

My parents decided in the mid-1980s that they wanted to do a better job of caring for the soils on our southern Manitoba farm — and tillage had to go. However, eliminating tillage meant coming up with another way of controlling weeds that would otherwise choke out a fledgling crop. One of the tools they

Seed early and heavily to boost flax

Seed early and heavily to boost flax

A good start is key to ensuring the crop’s competitiveness

Flax markets are still flat despite demand as a health ingredient in Canada and the U.S., but the crop represents a strong option for western Canadian producers. It’s especially suited to those looking to diversify the rotation, said Dane Froese, Manitoba Agriculture oilseed specialist at this year’s Crop Diagnostic School. “Flax is a non-host for


Kochia had good growing conditions this summer and, in some fields, glyphosate is no longer doing the job.

The year of the tumbleweed

Kochia has enjoyed an upswing given Manitoba’s weather this year

It’s a good year to be a kochia plant. That should come as no surprise to growers. The tumbleweed-like plant has become a common sight this year, popping up over crop in what seems like larger and more frequent patches, some of which now show less response to glyphosate. Weather conditions were a large part

Editorial: Right questions, wrong answers

Reaction from farmers was swift to last week’s announcement by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) that it plans to phase out most uses of neonicotinoids in Canada over the next three to five years. Shock, confusion and anger pretty much sum it up. Some said that if this relatively new class of products is