Depending on the crop, powdery mildew may not be much of a yield killer for grain growers — but dust from the fungal disease can build up to cause fires in combines.
Farm safety
Powdery mildew can be combine fire risk
Dust from the disease can ignite to cause combine fires; producers advised to frequently clean their equipment
Toolkits help bridge gap in farmer mental health
Ag Safety: In ag emergency preparedness, mental health outcomes often are overlooked
Efforts to rebuild and repair farms tend to take centre stage following a crisis, but the mental health aspects of such events often inadvertently wind up on the back burner, hence a new resource kit for farmer use.
Common mistakes and misinformation
Practical Research: A compendium of miscellaneous misconceptions now floating around farm country
Plant pathologist Ieuan Evans looks at still-circulating miconceptions about pine and spruce trees, shelterbelts, salt, dog food, bison, milk and more.
Poor-fitting PPE adds more farm safety hazards for women
Surveys show the available gear significantly hampers women at their work
Despite decades of calls for change, women on farms and in other workplaces are still made to struggle with ill-fitting and uncomfortable personal protective equipment (PPE).
Being proactive in storage, handling key to grain safety
Farm Safety: Canola is particularly susceptible to spoilage in storage
A key reason people become trapped in grain is because the stored product has gone out-of-condition. Put the other way, if the grain is in good condition, the less likely you are to have to enter the bin in the first place.
AgTalk farmer mental health support platform sees partnership renewed
Do More Ag’s anonymous chat platform has seen more than 10,000 interactions since its launch in 2023
AgTalk, an anonymous online space for those in the agricultural sector to find mental health support, has seen its funding partnership renewed, the Do More Agriculture Foundation announced on Tuesday.
Mastering communication is a work in perpetual progress
Farm Family Coach: The farming environment can be rich with opportunity for skill development
While it can get lost in the day-to-day, communication between farm family members can come with high stakes. Errors in family relations could be just as costly as running a sprayer boom into a power pole.
Road safety a shared responsibility
Tips to help ensure everyone’s safety while on the road
Tractors and other farm equipment travel significantly slower than typical traffic, meaning a motor vehicle driving at the speed limit can close the distance on farm machinery much faster than anticipated.
Europe’s illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs
At least 14 per cent of pesticides used on EU fields today are illegal
As the cost of spraying crops with pesticides becomes increasingly expensive, farmers in Greece's agricultural heartland have turned to a cheaper alternative: liquids in unlabeled plastic bottles smuggled over land and sea.
Letter to the Editor: Selenium, science and the risk of overstating harm
A letter to the editor of Grainews regarding an April 8, 2025 column on the risks of selenium contamination in waterways.