The European Commission has granted a new five-year licence for glyphosate, with Germany breaking a stalemate that would have seen the herbicide de-authorized in less than three weeks. After falling short of the qualified majority needed for glyphosate’s renewal earlier this fall, an appeals committee approved a five-year licence on Monday, with 18 countries voting… Read More

A robot that zaps unwanted organisms with lasers may describe a character in a science fiction plot, but in reality, it’s a technological response to farming with high labour costs. The Jäti is a battery-powered autonomous crawler built by a pair of German companies that is designed to identify weeds and destroy them with laser… Read More

What will the identity preserved (IP) soybean market look like in 10 years? Sevita International’s new CEO Don Rees believes the market will double over the next decade and he feels that’s a conservative estimate. Grabbing a larger piece of that growing IP pie will be one of Rees’ goals as he takes the reins… Read More

Canadian corn and soybean growers have a new tool to tackle resistant and tough-to-control weeds. Zidua SC, a new Group 15 herbicide from BASF, will be available in 2018. Deven Esqueda, BASF corn and soybeans crop manager, says the herbicide is labelled for use in herbicide-tolerant soybeans and field corn. With the active ingredient pyroxasulfone,… Read More

What’s the best herbicide program for food-grade, non-GMO, identity preserved soybeans? It’s a common question OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough gets from growers and we have the answer on this edition of RealAgriculture Soybean School. Cowbrough says there’s no magical herbicide that can handle all the challenges food-grade soybeans face during the growing season. But… Read More

Cereal variety trials typically give researchers great insight into yield, disease tolerance, standability and a host of management considerations to help growers pick the right variety for their fields. In this year’s Ontario Spring Cereal Performance Trials, researchers are also getting a good look at the impact herbicide choices can have on cereals. In this… Read More

Should you spray your soybeans once or twice? In this episode of Real Agriculture Soybean School, OMAFRA weed specialist Mike Cowbrough takes a look at how one-pass and two-pass herbicide systems compare. He notes that a one-pass program can offer effective weed control if growers keep soybeans fields weed-free through the third trifoliate stage. But… Read More

You’ve probably seen and heard reports of the impact invasive weeds like waterhemp and palmer amaranth could have on Ontario crops. While these two heavyweights tend to capture the headlines, there’s a host of other invaders also looking to find a home in your fields. At the recent Southwest Crop Diagnostic Day, Ridgetown College, University… Read More

A “biopesticide” is defined as a living organism that’s capable of controlling a pest, including weeds. Dr. Susan Boyetchko, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon, specializes in biopesticide technology, and she’s been working on a program to develop bio-based tools for controlling grassy weeds, such as wild oats and green foxtail. As she explains… Read More