BRUSSELS, Belgium — The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of senior scientists, strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of glyphosate. The European Food Safety Authority, which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. It was at […] Read more
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EU food safety watchdog hits back at scientists in glyphosate row
India debates GM oil mustard launch
NEW DELHI, India — India’s chief scientific adviser has urged prime minister Narendra Modi to decide the fate of the country’s first genetically modified food crop, mustard, and a recent meeting suggests authorities may support commercialization. While the path to a commercial launch is fraught with political opposition, allowing GM crops is critical to Modi’s […] Read more
Belated cold spell to benefit French crops
PARIS, France — The arrival of seasonably cold weather in France in the next few days should benefit cereal crops and ease concerns about unusually mild conditions so far this winter in the European Union’s top grain grower, farm office FranceAgriMer said. Crop observers and grain traders have been concerned that a warm December across […] Read more
South Africa’s drought devastates crops
HOOPSTAD, South Africa — Driving his pick-up truck down a dirt road, farmer Petrus Roux points to scorched fields that should be a sea of green maize, part of South Africa’s western grain belt. The worst drought in over a hundred years has devastated crops and could tip the economy into recession, adding to a […] Read more
El Nino expected to diminish in spring
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The El Nino phenomenon currently affecting weather is expected to weaken during the Northern Hemisphere’s spring and transition to normal conditions by late spring or early summer, a U.S. government weather forecaster said today. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, was in line in its […] Read more
Donation heifer raises $230,000 at National Western Stock Show
DENVER, Colo. — An Angus heifer born and raised in North Dakota sold for $230,000 to support research and junior programs within the breed. Named SAV Emblynette 5368, the young female came out of the Schaff Angus Valley program owned by Kelly and Marty Jo Schaff, fifth generation ranchers at St. Anthony, N.D. The donation […] Read more
Green foxtail is still No. 1
There has been no change at the top of the Top 10 list of weeds in Saskatchewan but plenty of movement at the bottom. Green foxtail gets top billing, followed by wild oats and wild buckwheat. They have held those positions since Agriculture Canada began the survey in the 1970s. The most recent survey was […] Read more
Could earlier fall seeding boost winter wheat?
Winter wheat production in Saskatchewan appears to have stabilized, but acreage is still well below historical levels. Officials with the Saskatchewan Winter Cereals Development Commission say 260,000 aces of winter wheat were planted last fall. That is on par with 2014 but well below 2013 levels, when Saskatchewan wheat growers planted more than 600,000 acres. […] Read more
Health Canada says benefits gleaned from higher yields
Lower disease pressure was also a factor in determining the value of neonicotinoid treatments on corn and soybeans
Health Canada has determined that neonicotinoid seed treatments provide economic value for Canadian corn and soybean growers. For corn, the national benefit is $74.2 to $83.3 million a year. “Or about 3.2 to 3.6 percent of the national farmgate value for corn in 2013,” the department’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency said. “The majority of these […] Read more
Protein issue hampers canaryseed’s novel food status
The crop contains a protein that may be related to wheat, so until allergy testing can be done, products must carry a wheat allergy warning
Canaryseed has finally achieved food status, but it comes with a condition. It took 10 years, millions of dollars and reams of documentation to achieve novel food approval for the crop from Health Canada and Generally Recognized as Safe status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “With the achievement of this milestone, we’re hopeful […] Read more
