Powdery mildew on a squash leaf.

Plant-based plant protection

Crop chem firm Gowan Canada has picked up registration for its first biological product in the Canadian horticulture market. The product, called EcoSwing, is approved for control of mummy berry in high-bush blueberries and powdery mildew in cucurbits such as pumpkins, squash and cucumber. It’s also approved for suppression of apple scab in apples and […] Read more

Agco-Deere patent dispute ends

In January a U.S. federal appeals court dismissed an appeal by John Deere of a patent infringement case against Agco. In July 2022 a Delaware jury concluded Precision Planting’s SpeedTube-vSet2 product, a high-speed planting system, did not infringe on Deere’s intellectual property. Precision Planting is an Agco brand. Agco said in a statement it’s “pleased […] Read more



Special-edition Cats

Special-edition Cats

At the end of January, in honour of its 100th anniversary, Caterpillar announced the availability of limited-edition machines through select Cat dealers around the world, including here in Canada. The limited edition models feature a custom “Centennial Grey” paint scheme to recognize the original colour of Caterpillar’s first products. The models will also include special […] Read more


hail

U.S. hail insurer looks northward

Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. of Iowa has made its first venture outside the U.S., buying the 80 per cent of Prairie crop hail insurance firm Palliser Insurance it didn’t already own, for an undisclosed amount. FMH CEO Shannon Rutledge said in a release in February that Palliser’s “regional expertise, knowledge and accomplishments…will contribute to […] Read more

peas in saskatchewan 2019

Fortress makes room for peas, lentils

We’ve had a lot of discussion in these pages lately about herbicide-resistant wild oats, so you’ll be interested to know Gowan Canada last month picked up a label expansion for its pre-plant granular herbicide Fortress MicroActiv, to include its use in field peas and lentils. Fortress, which combines triallate (Group 15) with trifluralin (Group 3), […] Read more


A view of what’s now the AgWest shop at Weyburn, Sask.

AgWest expands westward

Two Saskatchewan sites join the Agco dealership group

During Ag Days last month in Brandon, farm equipment dealer chain AgWest announced it’s making its first move into Saskatchewan, buying the Yorkton and Weyburn locations of another Agco dealer, Agriterra Equipment. “This is a natural extension of our current presence in Elie, Neepawa, Brandon, Russell and the Swan River region in Manitoba,” AgWest’s CEO […] Read more

The two-striped grasshopper has two pale stripes that extend from its eyes to the tips of its forewings and solid black stripes on its hind legs.

Label boost for Lumivia

Corteva’s insecticide seed treatment Lumivia CPL picked up a first-of-its-kind label expansion this summer. The company says the product — already registered for seed treatment of cereals, peas and lentils against wireworms, cutworms, armyworms and pea leaf weevil larvae — becomes the first insecticide seed treatment to cover suppression of grasshoppers. Lumivia CPL’s active ingredient […] Read more


Revisions for Raxil, other labels

Revisions for Raxil, other labels

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency in late November weighed in with its final re-evaluation on the toxicity risks of tebuconazole. Apart from its use as a wood preservative, it’s best known to farmers as a Group 3 active ingredient in Bayer’s Raxil, Prosaro and Folicur, Corteva’s Straxan and other foliar fungicides and seed treatments. […] Read more

Don Norman.

Editor’s Note: Say hi to the new guy

You’ve likely seen Don Norman’s work in these pages several times in recent months and you can expect to see much more of it now, as he officially becomes an associate editor for Grainews starting with this issue. Most recently a reporter with our sister book, the Manitoba Co-operator, Don has a degree in international […] Read more