The sight of wild oats escaping weed control is increasingly common in Alberta and could get a lot worse, says crop expert Harry Brook.

Millions of Alberta acres have resistant weeds

Kochia and wild oats top a long list of resistant weeds that are now present in Alberta, says crop specialist

Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to herbicide resistance, producers should be looking for trouble. The ongoing spread of resistant weeds means producers should be actively scouting for it, said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “We now have glyphosate resistance in kochia in southern Alberta and it continues to spread,” said Brook. “These should serve as a wake-up […] Read more

Wheat being loaded onto a cargo ship in Vancouver in 2011. (File photo: Reuters/Ben Nelms)

Wheat shipment halt seen as temporary

Wheat sales are expected to soon resume to Japan and South Korea. Both nations suspended Canadian wheat imports following the June 15 announcement that Canada had discovered several genetically modified (GM) wheat plants in southern Alberta. But both are expected to come back to the market shortly, while exports to others won’t be affected, according […] Read more


Testing can now detect residues at parts per billion (or even trillion) and that’s increasing scrutiny of all spraying, which is one of the reasons to check out www.keepingitclean.ca.

Glyphosate increasingly under the gun

This year’s Keep it Clean! campaign is warning producers not to use glyphosate as a desiccant

Reading Time: 3 minutes The glyphosate you use on the farm hasn’t changed — but public attitudes, at least in some quarters, have radically shifted. That’s part of the warning in this year’s edition of The Keep it Clean! Program. The site has information on maximum residue levels and regulatory updates but also reflects developments at the national and […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Extended-tolerance canola now on deck for 2019

Giving growers a wider window to spray in-crop weeds with glyphosate, the new platform for Monsanto’s future canola trait stacks is now booked to make its way into the Canadian market next year. The U.S. seed and chemical company’s Canadian arm announced last week it plans to commercialize TruFlex canola in 2019, following plot trials […] Read more


The Elbe River at Oberrathen, southeast of Dresden. (CIA.gov)

Germany moving ahead with plans to restrict glyphosate

Berlin | Reuters — German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner on Tuesday said she was finalizing a draft regulation to end use of glyphosate herbicide in household gardens, parks and sports facilities, and to set “massive” limits for its use in agriculture. The chemical, made by Monsanto, is at the centre of a heated debate in […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

U.S. judge halts California plan for warnings on glyphosate

Chicago | Reuters — A federal judge has temporarily blocked California’s plans to require cancer warnings on products containing glyphosate, in a win for manufacturer Monsanto. U.S. District Judge William Shubb said the warnings would be misleading because glyphosate is not known to cause cancer, according to court documents filed on Monday in California. He […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

German coalition deal sets no timetable to end glyphosate use

Hamburg | Reuters –– Germany’s draft coalition government deal includes a goal of ending use of glyphosate herbicide within the country, but gives no time frame, after Berlin swung a vote in November extending its use across the European Union. The timing of an end to glyphosate use has been highly controversial in Europe amid […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

France says will not ban glyphosate when no alternative

Saint-Genes-Champanelle, France | Reuters — France will not force farmers to stop using glyphosate after a ban planned within three years, in cases where an alternative has not been found, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. He added that this would likely concern 10 per cent of farms while solutions could be found for the […] Read more


The Canada 150 emblem in a durum field. (Agr.gc.ca)

Steady to lower durum market expected

CNS Canada — Larger-than-expected production, a seasonal slowdown in demand and looming Italian country-of-origin-labeling regulations all loom over the Canadian durum market, with steady to lower prices anticipated over the next few months. Italian COOL regulations are set to come into effect in mid-February and require pasta makers in the country to segregate foreign durum, […] Read more

Germany’s Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt. (Thomas Imo photo, Bmel.de)

Germany’s Merkel scolds ally in glyphosate row

Berlin | Reuters — German Chancellor Angela Merkel scolded a minister on Tuesday in a bid to shield talks on forming a coalition government from a dispute between cabinet colleagues over an EU herbicide licence. Conservative Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt angered the centre-left SPD on Monday by breaking protocol to back a European Union proposal […] Read more