Paraquat, which was marketed by Syngenta under the brand name Gramoxone between the mid-1960s and 2022, was used for burndown and desiccation.

Two class action lawsuits take aim at paraquat

Canadian legal actions will attempt to prove a link between the agriculture chemical and Parkinson’s disease

Glacier FarmMedia – Two class action lawsuits are underway in Canada alleging a link between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease. Paraquat is the active ingredient in a broad-spectrum herbicide marketed under the brand name Gramoxone in Canada by Syngenta between the mid-1960s and 2022, after which it was taken off the market. Why it matters: Paraquat […] Read more

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Pesticides under fire in U.S.

Recent court decisions have threatened farmers' abilities to use some herbicides

Pesticides are increasingly under attack in the United States and that is keeping farm leaders awake at night.

crop sprayer

Crop spraying in Europe sees high scrutiny

A British sprayer operator highlighted differences in sprayer awareness between Canada and the U.K.

Conditions for operating a sprayer in the United Kingdom, as in much of the European Union, are different from those in Canada or the U.S. “In the U.K., we have to pass tests before we start spraying,” said Iain Richardson, a sprayer operator from South Gloucestershire, England, who spoke at the Ontario Soil and Crop […] Read more

Participants at OSCIA’s annual meeting and sprayer seminar use try their hand at using various water quality tests.

How important is water quality for spray applications?

It’s garnering more attention in a less forgiving world

Water quality can affect spray applications in how well the product mixes and how the sprayer performs. It can reduce product efficacy and result in negative environmental impacts. Jim Reiss from Precision Laboratories in Kenosha, Wisconsin, explained several water quality issues during the second day of the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association’s annual meeting […] Read more


Reports of drift damage from dicamba-based products rose dramatically in the U.S. Midwest in 2017, covering more than 3.6 million acres.

Drift: The dreadful ‘D’ word in crop spraying

Herbicide drift can cause crop damage and have other repercussions

Scrutiny of crop spraying continues to increase and off-target movement or drift can affect yield and become an annoyance growers would rather avoid. Why it matters: Understanding how drift can occur and dealing with it if it happens can minimize crop loss and keep neighbours happy. “I’m not representing any enforcement agency, but if there […] Read more


Use of drones in spray applications is confounded by too many variables, including the units’ flight dynamics.

Drone spraying unlikely for the foreseeable future

The regulations and spray dynamics are more complex and unforgiving

Precision agriculture simplified many on-farm practices and procedures, particularly in the past five years with the rush to automate tractors, planters and weed management systems. Those are two-dimensional applications, and although things can go awry, complicating a grower’s plans, adding that third dimension –into the air –can result in something catastrophic. Why it matters: Despite […] Read more


Researchers from USDA Agricultural Research Service, University of Illinois, and the private sector discuss the first public report of severe tolpyralate sensitivity in corn.

New genetic vulnerability to herbicide found in nearly 50 sweet and field corn lines

Science Notes: Team documents 49 sweet corn and field corn inbreds suffering moderate to severe injury

When a sweet corn breeder in 2021 reported severe injury from the herbicide tolpyralate, Marty Williams hoped it was a fluke isolated to a single inbred line. Two years later, after methodical field, greenhouse and genetic testing, his study confirms sensitivity to tolpyralate in 49 sweet corn and field corn lines and also reveals a new […] Read more

Glyphosate-resistant kochia.

The silver bullet that wasn’t

Science Notes: Glyphosate’s declining weed control over 25 years

It has been a quarter century since corn and soybeans were engineered to withstand the withering mists of the herbicide glyphosate. Initially heralded as a “silver bullet” for weed control, the modified crops and their herbicide companion were quickly and widely adopted across corn and soybean-growing regions of North America. In the years that followed, […] Read more