The Bayer AG logo at the headquarters in France. Bayer AG has struck down its own plans to sell Nemastrike – a seed treatment designed to protect against nematodes – after reviewing experiences from farmers and applicators.  Photo: Reuters/Benoit Tessier/File

Bayer cancels plans to sell U.S. crop product in 2020 over safety concerns

Chicago | Reuters – Bayer AG has scrapped plans for wide sales next year of a chemical that is intended to protect U.S. crops from yield-robbing worms, citing ongoing safety concerns. The decision is the latest setback for Germany-based Bayer following its acquisition of Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018. Bayer is separately battling thousands of lawsuits claiming Monsanto’s glyphosate-based […] Read more

EU flags in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. (Jorisvo/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S., Canada, 14 others slam EU farm product regulation at WTO

Geneva | Reuters — The United States and 15 other countries launched a broadside of criticism at the European Union on Thursday, saying its “hazard-based” approach to regulating pesticides and other “critical tools” used by farmers was damaging livelihoods worldwide. Their statement, submitted to the World Trade Organization, said the EU’s approach created great uncertainty […] Read more


A federal ban on plastic bags won’t extend to bags such as these, shown here at a recycling depot, stewardship group Cleanfarms says. (CNW Group/Cleanfarms photo)

Agricultural plastics not part of federal ban

The federal government’s plan to halt Canada’s consumption of single-use plastics such as shopping bags, straws and stir sticks over the next couple of years won’t extend to farm chemical containers and grain bags. Cleanfarms, the national industry stewardship body operating waste management and recycling programs for agricultural packaging, said Thursday that plastic products such […] Read more

Manage herbicide resistance before you have it

Manage herbicide resistance before you have it

Try a wide variety of 
weed control strategies


On BASF’s 2019 Herbicide Resistance Management Webinar in March, Andrew Reid, BASF technical service specialist, said it’s always easier to manage herbicide resistant weeds before you have them in your field. One way to do this is to keep things clean. “Cleanliness is key,” Reid said. For example, if you don’t clean your combine after […] Read more


Good to be mixed up, in the right order

Good to be mixed up, in the right order

The sequence of the herbicide tank mix matters. Get it right with W.A.L.E.S

With more interest in recent years in tank mixing different herbicide products to provide more effective control of weeds, and reduce the risk of selecting weeds for herbicide tolerance, producers need to follow the proper mixing procedure. It’s not just a matter of which products can be safely tank mixed, but also what order different […] Read more

Volunteer canola is increasing its presence in recent weed surveys.

Managing Saskatchewan’s toughest weeds

You’ve seen these weeds before, and you’ll probably see them again


No matter which crops Saskatchewan farmers grow, the same weeds appear year after year. While the culprits are consistent, how you manage them is not, especially as herbicide resistance cases mount. For nearly 50 years, Canada thistle, wild oats, wild buckwheat and green foxtail have appeared in the top-five list of problematic weeds in Saskatchewan. […] Read more


Check your soil for herbicide residue

Check your soil for herbicide residue

Learn how to conduct plant bioassays to detect potential herbicide residues in your soil

Plant bioassays are a simple, inexpensive, accurate and direct method of determining if it is safe to grow crops on land previously treated with known herbicides or on cropland or compost with an unknown history of herbicide use. A bioassay can detect if herbicide or chemical residues are present in the soil or compost at […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Water Management Research Unit, ARS/USDA)

U.S. EPA wins new chance to argue against pesticide ban

Reuters — The Trump administration has persuaded a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its recent decision ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the widely-used pesticide chlorpyrifos, which critics say can harm children and farmers. In an order on Wednesday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will again review former EPA administrator […] Read more


What’s up honey?

What’s up honey?

The truth about honeybees’ importance in North America. Hint: it’s less than you think

In the last few years the general public has been bombarded and brainwashed with the supposed tremendous importance of honeybees in North America. Let’s get down to the facts. First of all, honeybees can technically be classified as invasive pests since the honeybee, Aphis melifera, is not native to the Americas — or Australia or […] Read more

If there are high levels of cutworms in your fields, control them before they do a lot of damage.

Dealing with soybean aphids and cutworms

Hot, dry summer weather can bring soybean aphids into your fields


Soybean aphids tend to come along with hot, dry weather, says Cassandra Tkachuk, production specialist for Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG). “Moist conditions mean fungal pathogens can help take down populations of soybean aphid. Hot, dry conditions are conducive to them reproducing rapidly.” While this year’s harvest weather wasn’t hot and dry in most […] Read more