Canadian grain and oilseed growers who’d had to stop using insecticides such as Matador, Silencer and Voliam in 2023 for feed grain crops can expect to be able to use them again starting this spring. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on Monday (Feb. 3) announced a round of public consultations, to run until […] Read more
PMRA plans to reinstate lambda-cy use in feed grain crops
PMRA to update guidance, cancel some uses in fruit
Editor’s Rant: Lights out
Thoughts on green policy-making ahead of Justin Trudeau's departure
Up on the shelf where we keep light bulbs of assorted sizes and wattages, I just happened across an old compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) — remember, those bulbs that looked like an Arby’s curly fry wrapped in thin white glass? Talk about a relic from a bygone time in western civilization when, it seemed, the […] Read more
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
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
Ottawa blesses Bunge’s Viterra takeover, with conditions
Merged firm must sell six elevators, keep distance from G3
Canada’s federal government will allow the acquisition of major Canadian grain firm Viterra by one of the world’s biggest grain industry players, but not without conditions. Federal Transport Minister Anita Anand on Tuesday announced the government’s decision to approve Viterra’s acquisition by U.S.-based Bunge, the ‘B’ in the ‘ABCD’ group of the world’s most influential […] Read more
New Richardson CEO steps in
Succession takes effect today in the corner office at Richardson International, one of Canada's biggest grain handlers and processors.
Editor’s Rant: The price tag on progress
Points to ponder as a seed company announces a hybrid wheat breakthrough
All things considered, the announcement is more of a surprise than it should have been. Corteva Agriscience in mid-November said it’s made a “revolutionary breakthrough” with which it expects to produce hybrid hard red winter wheat for the North American market “as early as 2027” and add other hybrid wheats to the product line over […] Read more
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
Editor’s Rant: Cinquante!
I can’t help it. I’ve watched enough French-language beer commercials that anytime I see the number 50 out in the wild, my first thought is to exclaim “Cinquante!” in an outside voice. My second thought is to not do that, because that would just make the birthday or anniversary party weird. With that earworm now […] Read more
Grainews’ greatest hits: 2024 in review
If you’re looking for some holiday reading this week while waiting for Canada Post to put through a month’s worth of your mail, we’ve drilled down into our most-read online articles from the year-to-date and come up with a cross-section of features for you. As always, we appreciate the time you’ve chosen to spend here […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
