Canada’s farmers aren’t likely to see less competition for their crop chemical dollars if the owner of Adama Canada buys Syngenta, the Canadian antitrust watchdog has ruled. The Competition Bureau on Tuesday issued a “no action” letter for the takeover of Syngenta by China National Chemical Corp. (ChemChina), saying the deal is “unlikely to result […] Read more
Canada’s competition watchdog clears Syngenta takeover
This is not good — triple-resistant kochia has entered Alberta
Glyphosate-resistant kochia was bad but there’s a new strain that’s much worse
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kochia, one of Western Canada’s most abundant and economically devastating weed species, has won another major battle in overcoming herbicide. This summer, the first known Group 4 herbicide-resistant kochia was identified in a durum wheat field in southwestern Saskatchewan. And samples currently being tested from a farm in southern Alberta are also suspected to be […] Read more
German chemical firm Lanxess to buy Chemtura
Reuters — Lanxess AG said on Sunday it would buy specialty chemical company Chemtura Corp. for about US$2.5 billion, to improve the German company’s additives business. Lanxess’s offer of US$33.50 for each Chemtura share represents a premium of about 19 per cent to the Philadelphia-based company’s close on Friday. The world’s largest synthetic rubber maker […] Read more
Dispose of unwanted pesticides and livestock meds this fall
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers in the Peace Region and central Alberta can safely dispose of unwanted agricultural pesticides and equine/livestock medications at one of the designated collection sites this fall. Obsolete or unwanted agricultural pesticides (identified with a Pest Control Product number on the label) will be accepted. Livestock medications that are used by primary producers in the rearing […] Read more
Leading insecticide cuts bee sperm by almost 40 per cent
The world’s most widely used insecticide is an inadvertent contraceptive for bees, cutting live sperm in males by almost 40 per cent, The Guardian in the UK is reporting. Citing research led by Lars Straub at the University of Bern, Switzerland, the report says neonicotinoid pesticides were found to cut the lifespan of the drones […] Read more
France moves toward all-out ban on neonics
Paris | Reuters — French lawmakers approved plans for a total ban on some widely used pesticides blamed for harming bees, going beyond European Union restrictions in a fierce debate that has pitched farmers and chemical firms against beekeepers and green groups. The EU limited the use of neonicotinoid chemicals, produced by companies including Bayer […] Read more
Alberta beekeeping workshops set to begin
Reading Time: < 1 minute The province is putting on four beginner beekeeping workshops, two intermediate ones, and two on farm food safety and biosecurity workshops. “These workshops are designed for new entrants as well as experienced beekeepers by providing up-to-date information on better management practices from start to setup,” he says. Workshop speakers include provincial apiculturist Medhat Nasr, apiculture […] Read more
Feds scrap ‘conditional’ pesticide approvals
Federal crop chemical regulators this summer will stop granting “conditional” registrations for new pesticides — a practice already largely on the way out, they note. Health Canada, which oversees the federal Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), said Tuesday it plans to stop granting new conditional registrations starting June 1, describing the move as an “important […] Read more
Packed agenda for agronomy update
Reading Time: < 1 minute More than two dozen speakers will be offering their insights at Agronomy Update in Red Deer on Jan. 19-20. Topics include aphanomyces, clubroot, fungicide timing, P and K decline, straight combining canola, insect control, and managing herbicide resistance. The conference kicks off with presentations on field crops pathology followed by soil management, grain marketing, and crops […] Read more
Get rid of unwanted meds and pesticides
Reading Time: < 1 minute Farmers and ranchers in southern Alberta will be able to dispose of unwanted or obsolete pesticide and livestock medications this fall. The Canadian Animal Health Institute and CleanFARMS will conduct the collection from Oct. 26-30 at 20 collection sites. A list of pickup sites will be posted at the CleanFARMS website later this summer. A similar […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
