A spray plane flies over a swarm of desert locusts at Lemasulani village in Kenya’s Samburu County on Jan. 17, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Njeri Mwangi)

Drones to be tested against Africa’s locust swarms

U.N.'s FAO testing drones to detect, spray pests

Nairobi | Thomson Reuters Foundation — The United Nations is to test drones equipped with mapping sensors and atomizers to spray pesticides in parts of east Africa battling an invasion of desert locusts that are ravaging crops and exacerbating a hunger crisis. Hundreds of millions of the voracious insects have swept across Ethiopia, Somalia and […] Read more



Alberta snow further delays canola harvest, boosts prices

Alberta snow further delays canola harvest, boosts prices

MarketsFarm — Canola futures finished up at Monday’s close, boosted by a weather premium after a low-pressure system brought considerable snowfall to parts of Alberta over the weekend. Snow was mostly concentrated in the southern region of the province. Calgary and surrounding areas received around 30 centimetres of snow, according to preliminary results from Environment […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Statistics Canada boosts crop production estimates

MarketsFarm — Updated model-based production estimates on Thursday from Statistics Canada expect larger yields for most of the major crops grown in the country — and while harvest operations are still ongoing, the actual crops may end up larger still. “All of the numbers are bigger, whether it’s durum, spring wheat, canola,” said analyst Mike […] Read more





lentils at weyburn

Farmer Panel: Rain in the nick of time

Moisture helps crops get to second base, but not a home run — yet

It may not be the case in all parts of Western Canada, but for producers contacted for the July Farmer’s Panel some much-appreciated rain in the latter part of June saved the bacon of a lot of crops but, as was duly noted, heading into July “it’s not in the bin yet.” Rain may not […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Water Management Research Unit, ARS/USDA)

U.S. EPA wins new chance to argue against pesticide ban

Reuters — The Trump administration has persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its recent decision ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the widely-used pesticide chlorpyrifos, which critics say can harm children and farmers. In an order on Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will again review former EPA administrator […] Read more