Letters, July 5, 2012

We welcome readers’ comments on issues that have been covered in the Manitoba Co-operator. In most cases we cannot accept “open” letters or copies of letters which have been sent to several publications. Letters are subject to editing for length or taste. We suggest a maximum of about 300 words. Please forward letters to Manitoba

Retire redundant regulations rapidly

Too many government farm regulations waste time and do nothing to improve health and safety of consumers, says a report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Farmers in Canada are hardest hit by regulations, an alphabet soup of rules including land-use restrictions, product labelling, food safety, border inspection, pesticides and data collection, said Virginia


Tracking microclimates could help feed the world

Scientists in Israel have developed a way of using satellite images to help farmers detect small-scale changes in climate and improve their harvests, a method that could bolster food supplies for an increasingly hungry world population. Rather than analyze the weather and topography of large swathes of land, the new system divides fields into smaller

Cosmetic pesticide dilemma

While working from a home office a few years ago, I looked out the window and saw a young guy holding a wand and spraying liquid on the front lawn. He was at the wrong address — a neighbour across the lane had ordered his lawn-care service, and I was able to direct him before


Conventional Agriculture Yields Dividends

co-operator contributor / ottawa For all the controversy surrounding the use of pesticides, fertilizers and biotechnology, they add $7.9 billion a year in value to the Canadian economy through increased production of crops, fruits, vegetables and potatoes, says a report prepared for CropLife Canada. The breakdown is $6.4 billion for the higher quantity and quality

Award Recipient Pioneered Pesticide Container Recycling

STAFF / Cam Davreux, vice-president of stewardship for CropLife Canada from 1989 until his retirement in June 2011, was honoured for his commitment to environmental stewardship at the Conference on Canadian Stewardship in Halifax Sept. 20. Davreux was the push behind three stewardship programs in the Canadian crop protection industry that have gone on to


DuPont Has Two New Fungicides Coming

Near Carman DuPont expects two of its new fungicides will commercially available to Manitoba farmers next year, and says more is to come. There s lots new coming from DuPont, Dave Kloppenburg, DuPont s launch manager for new insecticides and fungicides said Aug. 3 at the company s research farm. The message is next year,

World Needs Modern Agricultural Technology

CropLife International executive director Denise Dewar promotes pesticides and genetically modified crops from her Washington, D.C. office, but as a young, idealistic student, she dreamed of saving the world from pesticides. “At that time I was being influenced by the environmentalists’ very negative anti-pesticides environment,” she told the Canada Grains Council’s annual meeting in Winnipeg


CropLife Canada Promotes Technology Innovation

CropLife Canada has published its case for the continued use of pesticides and the pursuit of biotechnology to sustainably feed the world. The documentWe Stand for Sustainabilityoutlines the three P’s behind its position – people, planet and prosperity – and spells out how crop protection products and biotechnology can help feed the world’s growing population

Potato Disease Detection Funded – for Aug. 12, 2010

A Quebec firm working on DNA-based disease detection and monitoring for potatoes will get $1.2 million in federal backing. Phytodata Inc. said it’s partnering with McCain Foods Canada to develop such detection systems. The federal funding will go toward work on new and “highly reliable” ways to monitor and detect major airborne diseases in potatoes,