It’s been over a year and a half since the European Commission restricted the use of neonicotinoid insecticides across the EU in an attempt to help bee populations, an approach that the Ontario government is in many ways emulating with its new neonic seed treatment regulations for corn and soybeans. The impact the suspension has… Read More
Pulse growers have some decisions to make regarding fungicide applications this summer. On one hand, dry conditions generally translate into lower disease pressure, but on the other hand, peas and lentils are in relatively good shape compared to some other crops affected by the dryness across much of Western Canada. Add the fact they’re selling for decent prices, and they might… Read More
Syngenta Canada Inc. has announced the registration and launch of Clariva pn seed treatment, a biological seed treatment for the management of soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Clariva pn works by reducing SCN feeding and reproduction, a “targeted, direct and proven solution,” to the pest, says Nathan Klages, seedcare and inoculants product lead with Syngenta Canada…. Read More
Poor emergence or damping off of young soybean plants can be a sign of a seedling disease or root rot problem, especially following cool, wet weather as experienced in much of the soybean growing part of Western Canada this spring. As Holly Derksen, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, explains in this Soybean School West episode, there are… Read More
While this growing season may have some pulse growers wishing Mother Nature would turn the water taps on, the past few seasons have been tough on pulse crops when it comes to root rots and seedling diseases. Particularly in 2013, farmers were stumped by pea fields hard-hit by “wet feet.” Turns out, there was a… Read More
A job worth doing is worth doing well, and if you’re treating soybean seed at home on the farm, you may be over or under applying product. There are custom seed treatment options available, on a field by field basis, that may become even more popular as new regulations come into force for next season…. Read More
Soybean planting time brings with it a number of decisions — what’s the optimal seeding rate? Which inoculants should be used, and should they be doubled up? What about seed treatment? Is a seed treatment with insecticide needed? As part of this Soybean School West episode, Kristen Podolsky of the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers… Read More
Emergency use registration will now allow producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to use Intego Solo (ethaboxam) for the suppression of Aphanomyces euteiches in field peas. “Pulse production in Western Canada is now under serious threat from Aphanomyces – the most devastating disease in peas worldwide, according to the American Phytopathological Society,” Graham Collier, technical services… Read More
Are you flying blind when it comes to starting your crop? An untested seed lot is exactly that, untested — you don’t know what diseases may be lurking in the bin that could contribute to pathogen load in the field or choke off seedlings before they get a chance to grow. What’s more, variable seed… Read More
There’s no shortage of less than stellar wheat out there — the weather near the end of summer and early fall was not kind to harvest or the resulting grain (remember all that snow in September, Alberta?). While some quality parameters aren’t deal breakers and might be managed through bumping seeding rates, others can’t be… Read More
It’s no wonder that Western Canada is watching what’s unfolding in Ontario closely. That province’s government’s move to closely regulate neonicotinoid seed treatments, even after changes in corn and soybean planting showed significant reductions in bee health risk, has many in the agriculture industry wondering what this means for pesticide access moving forward. In this… Read More
New standards for storing and applying seed treatments are set to take effect across Canada in 2017. The new audit-based accreditation system was developed by CropLife Canada and its members “to provide uniform environmental, health and safety practices” at facilities where seed treatments are applied. If a business does not go through the accreditation process,… Read More
Syngenta Canada Inc. has announced the registration of Fortenza seed treatment, a new seed-applied insecticide for early-season cutworm control. The seed treatment can be used in conjunction with foliar products as part of canola growers’ cutworm management strategy. Cutworms are an early season pest of canola and be particularly devastating to a crop, as the pest… Read More
Growth in the area of seed treating and coating has led turf and seed company BrettYoung to build a new multi-million dollar, 28 thousand square foot seed coating facility in the southwest corner of Winnipeg. A grand opening for the seed treatment plant, which has annual capacity exceeding 50 million pounds, was held on Tuesday…. Read More
Protecting honeybees and pollinators is a key focus for Ontario farmers. Limiting exposure of the bees to certain insecticides, namely neonicotinoid-based corn and soybean seed treatments, plays an important role in a thriving bee population in the province. Corn planter air exhaust has been identified as a possible risk to moving neonicotinoid particles off the… Read More