Willem van Staveren says perennials and winter annuals such as dandelions, thistle and particularly kochia are targeted in the farm’s fall weed control program.

Weed control timing is important: sooner is better than later

If weeds get the upper hand, a percentage of yield loss can’t be recovered

Willem van Staveren says you can’t beat early weed control. In fact, every year on the family-run southern Saskatchewan farm, the Van Staverens plan for a post-harvest herbicide application to help control winter annual and perennial weeds in preparation for the following growing season. “It is important for us to make the late fall herbicide […] Read more

As part of a series of weed abundance surveys, 2,277 fields across Saskatchewan were surveyed in 2019 and 2021. That data was used to provide metrics such as the frequency and density with which weed species can occur in a region after post-emergence herbicide application.

Herbicide-resistant weed update for Saskatchewan

Your biggest herbicide-resistant weed threats for 2023 based on the latest survey results

As any farmer will attest to, herbicide-resistant weeds are a growing concern on the Canadian Prairies. In fact, it’s estimated they cost farmers in Western Canada as much as $530 million annually in lost yields and alternative weed management practices. Charles Geddes, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), who specializes in weed […] Read more



How to improve pre-seed herbicide applications

How to improve pre-seed herbicide applications

Q & A with an expert

Q: How can I improve weed control in my crops? A: There is a constant demand to improve overall weed control in our crops. Pre-seed herbicides are the initial application providing the base for that growing season.  Growers battle change across the weed spectrum combined with the challenge of weed resistance management. Producers often ask, […] Read more



Rebate roundup 2023

Rebate roundup 2023

Make your crop input dollars go further this year with cash-back rebates and reward programs

With the high price of fertilizer and other crop inputs these days, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of cash-back rebates and other grower reward programs as you prepare for the 2023 growing season. With this in mind, here’s our annual roundup (in alphabetical order) of rebates available to farmers in Western Canada […] Read more


New herbicides and fungicides for 2023

Products to control key broadleaf and grassy weeds plus a new fungicide seed treatment designation

Brand new herbicides from Gowan, Nufarm and more, plus a new fungicide seed treatment designation to control early season aphanomyces root rot in peas and lentils are heading your way in 2023. Please note, only brand new products released this year are included. Click here for a review of last year’s new offerings. BASF Voraxor […] Read more

(Leonid Eremeychuk/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. trade commission sues pesticide makers, alleging price scheme

Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued two top pesticide manufacturers for allegedly entering into exclusive contracts with distributors that kept prices paid by farmers artificially high. The consumer watchdog agency was motivated to bring the case in part because rising costs and supply chain disruptions from Russia’s invasion of […] Read more


In Alberta, kochia patches could form in new parts of the field or neighbouring fields where tumbleweeds may have blown, says AAFC’s Shaun Sharpe. Approaches and compacted areas may also be potential areas of invasion and spread as well as along roadsides, grid roads and field margins and around sloughs. Weed specialist Clark Brenzil highly recommends preventing the growth of kochia by planting perennial forages in ditches and even in saline (or otherwise non-productive) areas in fields.

Weed issues to watch in 2022

How different factors, such as moisture, temperature, herbicide resistance and others, may affect weed populations this year

After a series of dry years on the Prairies — with 2021 being driest of all — the provincial weed outlook for 2022 is varied across Western Canada and field to field. From kochia invading new territory to a possible increase of overwintering weeds — such as later-emerging false cleavers, Canada thistle, shepherd’s purse and […] Read more

A herbicide layering strategy uses a pre-seed treatment on emerged weeds while using soil-applied products simultaneously to control weeds that emerge a couple of weeks after the initial application. The pre-seed treatment helps to remove early-emerged weed pressure while the soil-applied application, when activated by moisture, provides extended control to help reduce weed pressure prior to the application of an in-crop herbicide. This type of strategy not only helps with early weed removal and allowing the crop to establish and take advantage of the nutrients and moisture available, but it also provides farmers more options for an in-crop application that will best target the later-emerging weeds that have to be dealt with.

Take a layered approach to herbicides

Develop an effective herbicide layering strategy — it could be one of your most powerful tools in the fight against herbicide resistance

It’s no secret that herbicide-resistant weeds are making life increasingly difficult for many crop growers in Western Canada, but the situation is far from hopeless, says an agricultural expert. Canada currently ranks third in the world for herbicide-resistant weeds, trailing only the United States and Australia in that category. Studies have shown there are currently […] Read more