working with farm chemicals

Going ‘off label’ is a bad idea all around when it comes to pesticides

You can not only be fined, but also put your customers, the environment and your business at risk


Reading Time: 2 minutes The practice of ‘off-label’ spraying is not only illegal and can result in severe fines, but can also be very dangerous for your clients, your livelihood, and the environment, says a provincial commercial horticulture specialist. “Horticultural chemicals and pesticides often have the dubious distinction of being more expensive than their field crop cousins. In order […] Read more

European corn borer larvae

Controlling plant pests with biocontrols on your crop

Some biocontrol agents employ very 
targeted means to deter pests

Reading Time: 2 minutes Competition and antibioses are two of the ways biocontrol agents can help control plant pests. “Producers are familiar with the concept of competition, as in crowding out weeds in a field using row spacing, stand density, etc.,” said Dustin Morton, commercial horticulture specialist, at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “Biocontrol agents can also be […] Read more


(CaseIH.com)

PMRA review calls for slim changes to glyphosate label

A federal re-evaluation of glyphosate’s health risks leaves the popular herbicide’s status unchanged in Canada — but proposes tweaks to the product label as a “risk-reduction” measure. Products containing glyphosate “do not present unacceptable risks to human health or the environment when used according to the proposed label directions,” Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency […] Read more

Slices of OSF’s Arctic Granny Smith apples (top) are compared to their conventional counterparts. (ArcticApples.com)

Health Canada clears Canadian firm’s ‘non-browning’ apples

A Canadian company’s genetically modified “non-browning” apples have picked up federal approval for commercial sale after review from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Arctic apple, developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits and submitted for federal approval in 2011, “is safe for consumption, still has all its nutritional value and therefore does not […] Read more


hemp

Opportunities for organic hemp growers

Manitoba Harvest and Hemp Oil Canada are still looking for organic producers

Reading Time: 2 minutes An Alberta Agriculture crop specialist says there are opportunities for growing hemp in the province, particularly organic hemp. “Many people may now be aware that the majority of the hemp grown in Alberta is for seed purposes,” said Harry Brook, crop specialist with the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “The market is strong for hemp […] Read more