Germany’s Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt. (Thomas Imo photo, Bmel.de)

Germany’s Merkel scolds ally in glyphosate row

Berlin | Reuters — German Chancellor Angela Merkel scolded a minister on Tuesday in a bid to shield talks on forming a coalition government from a dispute between cabinet colleagues over an EU herbicide licence. Conservative Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt angered the centre-left SPD on Monday by breaking protocol to back a European Union proposal […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Germany swings EU vote in favour of glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — Germany defeated its key EU ally France in a very tight vote on Monday to clear the use of glyphosate herbicide for the next five years after a heated debate over whether it causes cancer. After months of indecisive votes among the 28 member states in Brussels, Germany, whose Chancellor Angela […] Read more


Farmers and agronomists had a hands-on look at crops, weeds and pests at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s 2017 Crop Diagnostic School near Indian Head in July.


Four things to know about herbicide layering

Layer your herbicides to increase your odds of avoiding resistant weeds

Herbicide layering was on the agenda at Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Crop Diagnostic School near Indian Head this past summer. Cory Jacob, regional crop specialist in Saskatchewan Agriculture’s Watrous office, walked participants through the process. 1. What is herbicide layering? “We’re basically talking about layering on multiple herbicide modes of action and groups in sequential application. So, mainly your pre-seed and […] Read more



Bryce Geisel says that Group 2 herbicides are still important to Western Canadian farmers, despite resistance issues.

Developing resistance: Group 2 herbicides

Each herbicide group kills weeds differently. Weed resistance differs by herbicide group


When talking about herbicide resistance, Bryce Geisel likes to make sure people realize that spraying herbicides doesn’t cause resistance in a weed. Instead there are individual plants that, by chance, resist the herbicide. Those plants survive and pass on their resistance traits. “And with Group 2s in particular, it’s just altering the target site,” says […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

EU delays decision on glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — EU countries failed on Wednesday to vote on a licence extension for glyphosate, delaying again a decision on the widely used herbicide that critics say could cause cancer. The European Commission said in a statement the relevant committee did not hold a vote at a meeting and that it would announce […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

EU set to delay vote on glyphosate

Brussels | Reuters — Health experts from European Union countries are expected to discuss whether or not to extend the licence for herbicide glyphosate at a meeting starting on Thursday, but will only vote on the issue later this year. The EU has been debating for two years whether to allow the herbicide, used in […] Read more

Dicamba drift injury on non-dicamba tolerant soybeans causes leaf cupping, says Lionel Kaskiw, Manitoba Agriculture’s Farm Production Advisor based in Souris, Man.

Dicamba drift debacle decoded

Tom Wolfe blames inversions for much of the 2017 U.S. soybean damage

Saskatchewan Agriculture’s annual Crop Diagnostic School was held near Indian Head, Sask., this July. Tom Wolfe, owner of Agrimetrix Research & Training and sprayer specialist, was on hand to talk about sprayer technology and the dicamba problems that took place in the U.S. this summer. “This year was a defining year for spray technology,” Wolfe told Crop Diagnostic […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

France open to phasing out glyphosate

Paris | Reuters — France is open to phasing out common weedkiller glyphosate, the government said on Monday, following complaints from farmers worried about a potential imminent ban. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe reiterated Paris would vote against the European Commission’s proposal to extend for 10 years the licence for glyphosate, which is used in Monsanto’s […] Read more