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



Adding biologicals to the soil doesn’t always work in the field, so a better approach could be altering the plant genome to work in synergy with soil microbes, a plant scientist and soil microbiology expert from the University of Kansas says.


Ways to improve the microbiome

Scientists consider how we could better support relationships between plants, soil and microbes

Glacier FarmMedia — The hyperbole around biologicals and what they can do for crop production sounds like 10 million crickets in a suburban backyard. There’s a lot of noise around biologicals, and for good reason. Soil contains millions of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that perform vital functions for plants. As a result, global agri-science […] Read more





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Let’s look at the facts on pesticides

Practical Research: Chemicals found in nature aren’t intrinsically safer than the man-made options

The May 2024 edition of Consumer Reports, published by a well-regarded U.S. not-for-profit independent organization, examined “Produce Without Pesticides.” The article carried a lead statement that some 20 per cent of the 59 fruits and vegetables in its ratings posed a high risk for pesticides. It also made the statement that some of our favourite […] Read more



Treating and not treating alternating strips of pasture with insecticides has been found to keep grasshoppers in check — while helping to maintain populations of the pest’s natural predators.

Reduced-area pest spraying can still hit moving targets

The RAAT method can cut insecticide use in half and still kill most grasshoppers on pasture

Glacier FarmMedia — Grasshoppers, as their name suggests, hop from place to place in grassy fields. Taking advantage of that natural behaviour, University of Wyoming scientists have devised a way to control grasshoppers on pastures with smaller volumes of pesticides. The method is called Reduced Agent and Area Treatments (RAAT), in which farmers apply an […] Read more

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France revamps pesticide reduction plan in wake of farmer unrest

Paris | Reuters – France unveiled on Monday a revised plan to halve pesticide use in the European Union’s biggest agricultural producer, pledging to adopt an EU indicator and boost research into alternatives in a nod to grievances voiced in farmer protests this year. Why it’s important Environmental regulation was one of the main factors […] Read more