Growers should only use an insecticide when an economic threshold for a pest is reached.

Don’t jump the gun on pest control

It’s never a good idea to overreact when you see insects on your crops because jumping the gun, and spraying if it’s not really necessary, can do more harm than good. “Seldom, if ever, do preventative insecticides actually pay us,” says Scott Meers, insect specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “When we spray just to […] Read more

Deanna Brown was thrilled to be selected as a contestant on 'MasterChef Canada.'

A celebrity chef in the community

When people call Deanna Brown a celebrity chef it makes her laugh. “I’m neither a celebrity nor a chef! But I love to cook!” And after being a contestant on season two of the national televised cooking competition, “MasterChef Canada,” she’s keen to continue learning everything she can about cooking — on and off camera. […] Read more


(LDCom.com)

Ex-Dreyfus CEO leaves board in latest shakeup

Paris | Reuters — Global agricultural trader Louis Dreyfus Co. announced board changes on Thursday in which former CEO Serge Schoen will leave the group, another step in a leadership shakeup under main shareholder Margarita Louis-Dreyfus. Schoen oversaw rapid growth at the trading house as CEO between 2005 and 2013. Last year, Louis Dreyfus promoted […] Read more

New Holland introduced its updated line of T5 tractors in February.

New Holland re-engineers its T5 tractors

The New Holland brand started off by making a name for itself in haying equipment. Over the years as the brand has expanded its product line and global reach, that presence and reputation in the forage equipment market has remained its main marketing advantage. I’ve spoken to many of the brand’s executives several times over […] Read more


Biologists isolate novel genes from cauliflower to improve crop nutritional value. A study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine looking at gene-altered crops notes a genetically engineered characteristic that alters the nutritional content of a crop is “unlikely to have the same environmental or economic effects as a characteristic for herbicide resistance.” (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. study finds no risks to people, planet in GMOs

It’s time for the task of regulating new crop varieties to focus on plants’ characteristics rather than on how the plants were developed, a team of U.S. scientists recommends in a new report. A study committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on Tuesday released an “extensive” study of genetically engineered crops, finding […] Read more




(Photo courtesy Agrium)

N.B. to assess unwanted potash deposit

A potash deposit from which one of the world’s biggest fertilizer companies recently walked away will be the subject of a provincial review for its future potential. The New Brunswick government announced May 11 it will soon finalize a contract to hire a third-party consultant to assess the remaining potash resource, if any, in the […] Read more