kochia in saskatchewan

Kochia’s expanding herbicide resistance puts pressure on no-till systems 

Kochia populations in Saskatchewan and North Dakota are now resistant to group 14 herbicides, leaving fewer options for Prairie farmers

Based on preliminary data from a recent Prairie-wide kochia survey, AAFC’s Charles Geddes suspects Group 14-resistant kochia is now present in multiple fields in Saskatchewan and expects it could soon be confirmed in other regions as well.



Vyconic soybeans are expected to be released in Canada for the 2027 growing season.

New Bayer genetics to open up soybean herbicide tolerance

Bayer’s Vyconic genetics to be integrated with the company’s soybean varieties in coming years

If all goes according to plan, by 2027 soybean farmers throughout Canada will have new soybean varieties with tolerance to five key herbicides. Bayer Crop Science Canada on Monday announced its Vyconic soybean trait set, calling it “a leap forward in weed control, enabling farmers to manage their fields with unparalleled flexibility.” Vyconic features tolerance […] Read more

peas in saskatchewan 2019

Fortress makes room for peas, lentils

We’ve had a lot of discussion in these pages lately about herbicide-resistant wild oats, so you’ll be interested to know Gowan Canada last month picked up a label expansion for its pre-plant granular herbicide Fortress MicroActiv, to include its use in field peas and lentils. Fortress, which combines triallate (Group 15) with trifluralin (Group 3), […] Read more


oerth bio protac

Herbicide researchers pick new fights

Different modes of action may overcome a lull in herbicide discovery

Herbicide development has slowed in recent years, but innovative research methods could soon drive significant progress in the field. For decades, the pace of discovery of new modes of action — that is, how a herbicide interferes with the plant’s normal functions — was robust. From the 1950s through the 1980s, an average of one […] Read more

Boom stability, boom height and travel speed are critical to uniform herbicide application and curbing variability in spray coverage.

Tackling herbicide resistance with smarter spraying

Tom Wolf from Sprayers101.com shares insights on how spraying techniques and technologies can help farmers stay ahead of resistance

With herbicide resistance on the rise, farmers can no longer spray their way out of weed problems — but smarter spraying can help prevent making resistance worse. That was the message from spray application specialist Tom Wolf, who spoke recently at the Manitoba Agronomists’ Conference. Wolf, from Saskatoon, is known for his contributions to Sprayers101.com, […] Read more


volunteer canola in soybeans

The evolving fight against volunteer canola 

As its prevalence grows, farmers are adopting integrated strategies to manage one of the Prairies' most persistent weeds

While chemistries out there continue to work for most farmers, the days of spraying their way out of volunteer canola issues are receding in the rearview mirror.  “I’m not going to say that herbicides don’t work because there are quite a few herbicide options still to manage volunteer canola,” says Charles Geddes, a research scientist […] Read more

wild oats

Maul of the wild

Farmers who missed two-decade-old advice on wild oat management now face the fallout, but new research and technology might still turn the tide

Any Prairie farmers who ignored a 2005 paper on managing herbicide-resistant wild oats, back when it first dropped, might feel like they’re getting an “I told you so” finger wag if they were to read it today. Authored by Hugh Beckie, a former AAFC researcher known for his contributions to weed management and herbicide resistance […] Read more


Agronomy and the Law: Be careful what you recommend

Agronomy and the Law: Be careful what you recommend

Recommending various herbicides, fungicides and pesticides to farmer and ag-retail clients is an important aspect of an agronomist’s role. These recommendations must be tailored to each grower’s fields in an economically viable manner and, in the case of pesticides, recommendations and the usage and storage thereof, must be within the law. In fulfilling your duty […] Read more

john deere see and spray

Can John Deere’s See and Spray system more than pay for itself?

Analysis of 2024 use shows significant reduction in herbicide use and costs

Iowa State University in late August published the results of its field-scale trials of John Deere’s precision spraying system See and Spray Ultimate, and the outcomes were impressive, to say the least. Deere’s system uses artificial intelligence and machine-based learning to identify weeds in a growing crop and make targeted applications. The Iowa trials consisted […] Read more