Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers have overwhelmed state governments with thousands of complaints about crop damage linked to new versions of herbicides, threatening future sales by manufacturers Monsanto and BASF. Monsanto is banking on herbicides using dicamba — and seeds engineered to resist it — to dominate soybean production in the U.S., the world’s […] Read more
Monsanto, BASF herbicides strain states with damage complaints
ICE weekly outlook: Canola looks to USDA for direction
CNS Canada — The canola market continues to chop around in its recently-established range of $490-$500 per tonne, but a looming U.S. Department of Agriculture report could change that, according to an industry analyst. “That (USDA supply and demand report) is going to be the driver,” said Keith Ferley of RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg. […] Read more
Manitoba soybean yields disappoint
CNS Canada — With Manitoba farmers starting to bring in their early-maturing soybeans between intermittent rains, they may start to see the toll from the dry summer. Many crop analysts see soybean yields below what farmers have enjoyed for the past couple of years, but they stress that fields are variable and that longer-season varieties […] Read more
Prairie canola, soy now in Cargill ProPricing portfolio
Canola and soybean growers in Western Canada are now able to get in on Cargill’s ProPricing grain marketing program for the 2017-18 season. The U.S. agrifood company’s Winnipeg-based Canadian arm announced Sept. 14 it would offer its first-ever canola contract in its ProPricing portfolio, allowing eligible growers to hand off a portion of their canola […] Read more
U.S. EPA aims to allow dicamba use, with safeguards
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to allow farmers to spray the controversial herbicide dicamba next year, but with additional rules for its use, an official with the agency said on Tuesday. Reuben Baris, acting chief of the herbicide branch of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, said the agency […] Read more
Manitoba’s soybean harvest well underway
Soybeans are being harvested in the heart of Manitoba’s traditional soybean belt, but as of Thursday, there were still fields a week or more away from the combine depending on the weather. The variability underscores differences in maturity among varieties and seeding dates. Dry, warm weather until now has helped ripen soybean crops across agricultural […] Read more
Prograin head buys into soy processor Ceresco
CORRECTED, Sept. 15, 2017 — A major Quebec processor and exporter of identity-preserved (IP) soybeans for food markets is set to be sold to an investor group including the head of soybean firm Semences Prograin. SG Ceresco, based southwest of Montreal at St-Urbain-Premier, will be sold to a joint venture between Prograin president Alain Letourneau’s […] Read more
Monsanto presses against Arkansas’ dicamba limits
Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto Co. pushed Arkansas authorities on Thursday to reject a proposed April 15 cutoff date next year for sprayings of the agricultural herbicide dicamba, which has been linked to crop damage across the U.S. farm belt. The company further said that Arkansas’ plant board should allow farmers in the state to […] Read more
Frost damage to soybeans depends on crop stage
Frost damage to soybeans depends on the stage of the soybeans and how cold it gets and for how long, according to a pulse crops extension specialist. Frost is possible Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning in parts of Manitoba. Soybean growth stage is determined by examining the pods, Terry Buss of Manitoba Agriculture at Beausejour […] Read more
Stressors pile up for Manitoba soybeans
Damaged patches of soybeans around Manitoba this year could be due to a combination of stresses, says Manitoba Agriculture plant pathologist Holly Derksen. “It’s a tricky year for diagnosing these problems,” Derksen said Wednesday during the Crop Talk Westman webinar. “When multiple stressors are present often the soybean plants may respond differently. Not all plants, […] Read more
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