Speaking July 5 at the Crop Diagnostic School in Carman, Manitoba Agriculture’s Terry Buss shows a Roundup Ready 2 soybean plot dying due to dicamba drifting over from the Xtend soybean plot at left. (Allan Dawson photo)

Xtend soybeans expand options, but be dicamba-drift aware

New dicamba- and glyphosate-tolerant soybeans offer more weed control options and are another tool to address herbicide-tolerant weeds, but farmers need to take steps to avoid dicamba drift and spray tank residue, Manitoba officials say. What’s been happening in Arkansas underscores the risk dicamba drift presents. The U.S. state of Arkansas on Friday announced a […] Read more

Wild oats is currently resistant to the most number of herbicide groups of any weed.

‘Wake-up call’ needed for resistance

Provincial crop expert says it’s time to stop pretending it’s not ‘a huge issue’

Reading Time: 3 minutes Weed resistance has been an issue in crop production for many years, but is coming to the forefront as increasing numbers of weeds are no longer responding to herbicides. “Most producers are aware of the issue, but unless it affects them directly, don’t see it as a huge issue,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. […] Read more


(Video screengrab from Enlist.com)

Dow’s Enlist corn cleared for Canada

Corn growers in Canada can begin ordering Dow AgroSciences’ genetically modified Enlist corn later this summer, now that China will allow imports of grain grown from corn with the Enlist trait. Dow Agro announced Wednesday the glyphosate- and 2,4-D-tolerant corn will be commercially available in Canada and the U.S. for use in the 2018 growing […] Read more

Assessing the threat from a weed starts with identifying it. For example, whitlow grass (left) isn’t a big threat, but scentless chamomile (right) is, says provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. photos: wiki commons

Know your enemy and its destructive potential, says provincial crop specialist

There’s a critical window for controlling weeds, but it depends on both the crop 
and the threat posed by individual species

Reading Time: 2 minutes All crops have a critical weed control period when they are most susceptible to significant yield loss from weed competition. The critical weed control period for canola is around 17 to 38 days after emergence. Peas can be as early as two weeks after emergence. “Other, more competitive crops, like the cereals, have a less […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

EU to propose 10-year licence renewal for glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — The European Commission will propose extending by 10 years its approval for glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. A transatlantic row over possible risks to human health has prompted investigations by congressional committees in the U.S., and in Europe has forced a delay to […] Read more

(CaseIH.com)

Glyphosate clears Health Canada re-evaluation

Crop protection companies selling glyphosate have two years to make minor changes to parts of their product labels, as the 43-year-old herbicide formally clears Health Canada’s re-evaluation process. The re-evaluation, launched in late 2009 in a standard federal practice for registered pesticides in Canada, has ruled that products containing glyphosate — when used following the […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

New study on glyphosate to feed into crucial EU vote

London | Reuters — Results of a new animal study into possible health risks of glyphosate will be published in time to inform a key EU re-licensing vote due by the end of 2017, according to the researcher leading the trial. A row over possible effects of glyphosate — an ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU chemical agency says glyphosate not carcinogenic

Helsinki | Reuters — Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, should not be classified as a substance causing cancer, the European Chemical Agency concluded on Wednesday, potentially paving the way for its licence renewal in the EU. A transatlantic row over possible risks to human health has prompted investigations by congressional committees in […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Monsanto ghostwrote Roundup studies, plaintiffs in U.S. suit say

Reuters — Employees of Monsanto ghostwrote scientific reports that U.S. regulators relied on to determine that a chemical in its Roundup herbicide does not cause cancer, farmers and others suing the company claimed in court filings. The documents, made public Tuesday, are part of a mass litigation in federal court in San Francisco claiming Monsanto […] Read more

The basics of combating resistant weeds are simple — rotate herbicides by group; scout; employ good sanitation methods and diverse rotations, said Hugh Beckie.

Herbicide resistance is everywhere you look

This year it’s Alberta’s turn to be surveyed by Ag Canada — but researchers already know the news won’t be good

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’ve found herbicide-tolerant weeds in your field, you’re not in the minority. Weed resistance is increasing worldwide, so it’s really important that Prairie growers understand growing herbicide tolerance, says one of the country’s top resistance experts. “Group 2 really overshadows all the other groups in terms of weed resistance,” said Hugh Beckie, a research […] Read more