(Photo courtesy Water Management Research Unit, ARS/USDA)

U.S. EPA wins new chance to argue against pesticide ban

Reuters — The Trump administration has persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its recent decision ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the widely-used pesticide chlorpyrifos, which critics say can harm children and farmers. In an order on Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will again review former EPA administrator

Even less competitive crops can benefit from an integrated weed management strategy.

Crop establishment important for weed management

Combining many tools into an overall integrated weed management strategy is a winner

There are many components to integrated weed management (IWM) including crop rotation, seeding rates, chemical, cultural and mechanical controls, but one of the most vital aspects of any successful IWM is crop establishment, says Dr. Rob Gulden of the University of Manitoba. At this year’s Crops-A-Palooza event in Portage la Prairie, researchers including Gulden manned


Without a viable alternative to clothianidin and thiamethoxam, the Canola Council of Canada feels “the ban will significantly impact the canola sector.”

Agri-food sector gearing up for neonic consultations

Government says it will listen to concerns about lack of useful alternatives to neonics

Farm groups are readying for battle over the federal government’s proposal to phase out more neonicotinoid pesticides. They’ve signalled their intention to grill Health Canada and the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) over their plans to eliminate the use of clothianidin and thiamethoxam over the next three to five years because they pose a threat

Overregulation a crushing burden for agri-food sector

A new report says the sector is particularly burdened by red tape

A new report on the cost of overregulation has singled out the agri-food sector for special attention. The report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, titled Death by 130,000 cuts in reference to the number of federal regulations alone, said too much red tape is weakening Canada’s international competitiveness and dampening foreign investment. There are



A depiction of the herbicide molecule (top), which inhibits an enzyme (bottom) that plants need.

Neutralizing weeds’ defence system

Researchers identify a new mechanism to battle herbicide resistance

Plants and unseen soil micro-organisms all need precious space to grow. And to gain that space, a microbe might produce and use chemicals that kill its plant competitors. But the microbe also needs immunity from its own poisons. By looking for that protective shield in micro-organisms, specifically the genes that can make it, a team


Imidacloprid, a neonic insecticide, has been targeted by Health Canada as an environmental threat to aquatic insects and pollinators.

Health Canada still on track for phasing out imidacloprid

A final decision is expected by December after a summer consultation

Cereal, speciality crop and fruit and vegetable growers are gearing up for a final attempt to convince Health Canada that eliminating most agricultural uses of the neonic insecticide imidacloprid is an environmental step backward. The department said May 31 that an updated pollinator assessment by the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency found that while the risks



The list of prohibited crop protection products looks set to shrink in the new crop year.

Manipulator OK’d for 2018 crop, progress on quinclorac

The list of products exporters don’t want farmers using on their crops is being revised

The list of chemicals Canadian farmers shouldn’t apply to their crops because they put markets at risk is expected to be shorter this growing season. Manipulator (chlormequat chloride), a plant growth regulator, has received a maximum residue limit (MRL) in the United States and an international MRL is expected to be set in July for

Bees and other beneficial insects could some day benefit from new pyrethroid pesticide research.

Spare the bees

New research may make for better-targeted pesticides that do their job but don’t hurt beneficial insects

Pyrethroid pesticides could be modified with a few molecular tweaks to eliminate pests while preserving beneficial insects like bees. Those are the findings of researchers at Michigan State University’s entomology department in a study featured in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These pesticides target a protein known as the