palmer amaranth weeds in a field

Herbicide-resistant weeds changing farm practices

Resistant weeds are driving U.S. farmers to actions like manual weeding

Arkansas has been ground zero for herbicide-resistant weeds. For instance, the state is second only to Australia in the amount of herbicide-resistant ryegrass in wheat. “We’re actually running out of herbicides, making it difficult for us to even grow wheat in Arkansas, because of the levels of resistance that we have,” said Dr. Bob Scott. […] Read more

pouring agricultural chemicals

Fighting myths about ag chemicals

The ag conversation includes many misunderstandings and dangerous myths

Dr. Joe Schwarcz*, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) is a chemist by training and a science popularizer by profession. The OSS works to promote scientific literacy among the general public and combat dangerous myths and misunderstandings. This year Dr. Schwarcz brought his message to the attendees at FarmTech 2015 in Edmonton, […] Read more


pouring farm chemicals

Chemical safety on the farm

You use them so often they may not even seem to be all that dangerous
 anymore. But make sure you know just what you’re dealing with

Every year farmers and farm workers come in contact with a wide variety of chemicals. Often they’re used every season and farmers can become familiar with them, even a bit complacent about the dangers they pose. Each chemical will have an information sheet and information tag. All chemicals and medications have Material Safety Data Sheets […] Read more

soybean field

Weed management in soybeans

With high seed prices, farmers will be tempted to lower soybean seeding rates

Soybean farmers have been facing a growing threat to their bottom line: rising seed costs. Seeds for the very popular glyphosate resistant cultivars have increased in price by $47.75 an hectare (or 230 per cent) since they were first introduced in 1996. This trend is likely to continue given soon-to-be-introduced varieties with new herbicide resistant […] Read more


winter wheat

Getting herbicides on your winter wheat

Everyone wants to get their winter wheat sprayed early in the spring. Find out how soon you can get started

There are many reasons to grow winter wheat. But one mark against this crop is its vulnerability to weeds. Winter wheat growers want to get in a herbicide application as early as they can during the growing season. This can be a problem. Ontario farmers have observed that applying too early can injure the growing […] Read more

tilled rows in a field

Tillage: not always a dirty word

Moisture cycles change over time. It’s not a crime for soil management practices to change too

When soil-incorporated herbicides were all the rage, tillage was the main operation on many farms. For some granular soil-applied herbicides, the recommendation was to cultivate several inches deep at high speed and to go over it twice at right angles. In the best black soils it was not uncommon to hear farmers say they had […] Read more


test plots of seeded wheat

Plant growth regulators

They’re not new, but plant growth regulators 
are not yet common on the Canadian Prairies

Prairie farmers might be seeing ads for plant growth regulators for the first time, but PGR’s are not new. “They’ve been using them in Europe for over 30 years,” Tom Tregunno, Engage Agro’s product manager, told farmers at the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation (IHARF) Crop Management field day in July. Plant growth regulators are […] Read more

wild oats

Avadex back in the game to fight herbicide resistant weeds

When herbicide resistant wild oats crop up on you’re farm, you may be looking backwards in time to find a solution with a different, “new” active ingredient

The Brady Bunch. ABBA cassettes. Avadex. Things we remember fondly, but don’t really see much anymore. Right? Wrong. Avadex is back in town. In 2004, Gowan, an Arizona-based company, bought the formulation and trademarks from Monsanto. As wild oats with resistance to Group 1 and Group 2 herbicides continue to pop up across the Prairies, […] Read more


corn field

Avoiding herbicide resistance

Worried weed scientists gather to discuss the future of weed control without new chemistry

The loss of glyphosate is something that we should all lament,” said Steven Powles, director of Australia’s Herbicide Resistance Initiative. Powles compared the importance of glyphosate to penicillin, calling it a one-in-100 year herbicide. Powles was speaking to a gathering of weed scientists at the Weed Science Society of America’s second herbicide resistance summit in […] Read more

man in field looking at a weed

New nitrogen stabilizer and herbicide system for crops

Dow AgroSciences is bringing products to market this fall that are more than just “new and improved”

Dow AgroSciences does have improved chemistry for weed control in wheat and barley, but along with that it is also introducing a whole new weed control system that includes ramped up genetics in corn and soybeans to improve weed control options in those crops. Along with that, DAS is introducing new-to-Canada nitrogen stabilizers that will […] Read more