Two simple spray tips can make or break Canadian crops

Two simple spray tips can make or break Canadian crops

Before spraying your in-crop application, ‘keep it clean’ with these best practices

Farmers have a lot on their plates as they head into the spraying season. The Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada and Pulse Canada are reminding growers of best practices that can have a major impact on marketing grain. Proper pesticide use is a critical factor in growing export-quality grain. As a world leader in

There are five pesticides grain companies belonging to the Western Grain Elevator Association don’t want to have been applied to crops they buy in the 2017-18 crop year starting Aug. 1, 2017.

‘Keep it Clean’ to protect grain markets

The major western Canadian grain companies have identified five pesticides they don’t want used on the crops they buy

With harvest approaching, western Canadian farmers are being reminded to avoid trade disruptions by “Keeping it (crops) Clean” from pesticide residues. Even though a pesticide is registered for use in Canada it might not have been approved in an importing country, which means there’s no acceptable level of residue. With that in mind members of


If you see this don’t worry, the plant will grow out of it says Lionel Kaskiw, Manitoba Agriculture’s Farm Production Advisor based in Souris.

Blistering soybean leaves vs. cupping: the first isn’t a worry, the second is

Manitoba Agriculture’s Lionel Kaskiw is getting calls about dicamba drift

If you see what looks like blistering on soybean leaves don’t worry it’s not herbicide drift and the crop will grow out of it, says Lionel Kaskiw, Manitoba Agriculture’s Farm Production Advisor based in Souris. However, leaf cupping can be a sign of dicamba damage in soybeans that are not dicamba-tolerant, he said July 26

Photo: iStock

U.S. senators seek ban on pesticide chlorpyrifos

New York / Reuters – A group of Democratic senators hopes to ban a pesticide the U.S. government has greenlighted for use, according to a bill unveiled on Tuesday in a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump’s push to loosen environmental regulations. The bill, introduced by Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, would outlaw chlorpyrifos,


The latest estimates are that as much as 50 per cent of the crop area in Western Canada could be affected by Group 1- and/or Group 2-resistant wild oats.

Ag in Motion: Managing herbicide resistance

Diversity is defined in the dictionary as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” In weed control, diversity means using multiple strategies, or an integrated weed management approach. For herbicides, this means using all of the modes of action available to reduce the risk of weed resistance. This may be obvious, but

Tom Wolf, co-founder of Agrimetrix and Sprayers 101, models the importance of sprayer cleaning to avoid accidental application of canola-unfriendly chemicals.

Tank cleaning key to avoid Group 2 herbicide injury in canola

Agrimetrix co-founder Tom Wolf explores how a clean spray tank can curb unintentional damage in the field

It may take a concentration less than 1/250th for Group 2 herbicides to start damaging canola, according to sprayer specialist Tom Wolf. “That’s quite a dilute mixture,” he said. “You’d never think it would do anything.” Wolf was one of many presenters at Canolapalooza 2017, held in Portage la Prairie June 22. Group 2 herbicides


Warm temps make for good growth, crop insect and disease stress seen low

Manitoba Crop Report and Crop Weather report for July 4, 2017

Precipitation amounts are below average for much of the province. Crops in the Southwest Region and the western part of the Central region would benefit from moisture. Crops in most regions are in good to excellent condition. Warmer temperatures are improving growth of warm season crops. Insect and disease pressure remains low in field crops.

(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Field studies fuel dispute over whether neonics harm bees

London | Reuters — Two major studies into how bees are affected by a group of pesticides banned in Europe gave mixed results on Thursday, fuelling a row over whether the neonicotinoid pesticides are safe. The studies, one conducted across three European countries and another in Canada, found some negative effects after exposure to neonicotinoids


Syngenta’s Interaction Centre at Stein, Switzerland. (Syngenta.com)

ChemChina clinches takeover of Syngenta

Zurich | Reuters –– ChemChina has won more than enough support from Syngenta shareholders to clinch its US$43 billion takeover of the Swiss pesticides and seeds group, the two companies said Friday. The deal, announced in February 2016, was prompted by China’s desire to use Syngenta’s portfolio of top-tier chemicals and patent-protected seeds to improve

Chloropicrin being applied on a New Brunswick potato field. McCain has been trialling applications there since 2014.

Fumigation a potential solution for ‘tired potato land’

Not all land will show an effect however, so producers need to consider the strategy carefully

Soil fumigation is a good option for potato acres inflicted by yield-limiting pests, says Andy Robinson, a North Dakota State University extension potato specialist. Fumigation is used south of the border to control buildup of soil-borne pests causing verticillium wilt, potato early dying and other diseases. But fumigation hasn’t been widely adopted in Canada, unlike