The Next Yield Frontier
The seed industry has made significant investments into the research and development of biologicals — be it through acquisitions or their own research teams. Here, we highlight some of the […]
Gates Foundation Grant to Boost Staple Crop Breeding
To streamline the breeding of five staple crops – wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and chickpea – the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded Cornell University $18.5 million for a […]
Horticulture Groups Question Lowe’s Decision on Neonics
Home improvement chain Lowe’s has announced it plans to phase out the sale of products containing neonicotinoid pesticides in response to what it says are environmental concerns, but four of […]
Wheat Breeders Head to Asia on Fact-Finding Mission
Four wheat breeders will travel with members of market development organization U.S. Wheat Associates to Asia from April 18-26, to demonstrate the importance of wheat research. Each year the United […]
Honeybee Die-Off Less Severe
The honeybee population appears to have survived the winter in better shape than a year ago, but still faces several significant threats, a Purdue University honeybee specialist says. After the brutally cold, […]
Grain Farmers of Ontario Opposes Draft Seed Regulations
Following a technical briefing from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, as well as a thorough review of the draft seed treatment regulations proposed by […]
Supreme Court Upholds Wheat Marketing Freedom
The Supreme Court of Canada rejected the leave application to continue with the class action lawsuit brought by the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board against the federal government for removing […]
U.K. Company Sues Bayer Over Canadian Patent
Exosect Ltd., a provider of enabling technologies based in the United Kingdom, has initiated legal proceedings against Bayer CropScience Inc. for alleged infringement of its Canadian patent that relates to, among other […]
CFI Receives Funding for Fertilizer Research
The Canadian Fertilizer Institute (CFI) received a federal government investment of $1.1 million to facilitate research and development to improve the efficient use of fertilizer, while reducing the environmental impacts […]
Kansas Farmers to Enjoy Better Wheat Varieties
Kansas State University wheat breeder Allan Fritz has a lifetime of intuition and experience in developing new wheat varieties. Thanks to research funded by Kansas wheat farmers through the Kansas Wheat Commission […]
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre Receives Funding
The federal government announced an investment of $143,260 to Ontario’s Vineland Research and Innovation Centre to conduct research into improving the use of biological controls for pest and disease management […]
Genome Canada Unveils New Genomics Innovation Network
Genome Canada announced a $15.5 million investment in Canada’s new Genomics Innovation Network. The network is comprised of ten “nodes,” each receiving core operational funding from Genome Canada, with matching […]
Thompsons Limited Acquires Rannoch Grains
Ontario’s Thompsons Limited announced it has acquired Rannoch Grains Inc._x000D_ _x000D_ “This opportunity expands the reach for our grain marketing, agronomy solutions and food products business into a strategic geographic […]
Intego Solo Seed Treatment Receives Emergency Registration
Intego Solo — an ethaboxam-based Group 22 fungicide registered for pythium control and the suppression of seed rot — was given emergency registration for field peas to protect against Aphanomyces […]
Clean Seed Capital Signs Distribution Agreement with Cervus
British Columbia’s Clean Seed Capital Group Ltd. announced it has entered into a distribution partnership agreement with the Calgary-based Cervus Equipment Corp. Cervus has interests in 75 dealerships in Canada, New […]
EU Report: Neonics Negatively Affect the Environment
A report to the European Commission from the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council, formed by the national sciences academies of European Union Member States, concludes that there is increasing scientific […]
Scientists Reveal Hormones that Guide the Rate of Root Growth
The tip of a plant’s root is a place of active cell division followed by cell elongation, with different zones dedicated to different functions, all working together to expand into […]
Enriched Broccoli Reduces Cholesterol
A new broccoli variety added to the diet reduces low-density lipoprotein, more commonly known as LDL, cholesterol levels by about 6 percent, according to trials led by the Institute of Food Research in […]
Honeybees On the Rise
According to Statistics Canada, this critical pollinator has been increasing in number during the past decade. _x000D_ Bees are an essential component of Canadian agriculture, with the Canadian Honey Council […]
Delivering More Choice to the Marketplace
The Prairie Grain Development Committee supported the registration of more than 30 wheat, rye and triticale varieties, adding more choice in the marketplace for farmers. _x000D_ _x000D_ This year the […]
Gauging the Value of IP
Intellectual property is of tremendous importance to the seed industry, but why? And how do farmers and seed companies determine it? _x000D_ It reads like a script for a Hollywood […]
Clear Pots to Improve Breeding of Drought-Resistant Wheat
A University of Queensland scientist has developed a new method to help grain growers become more resilient to expected changes in climate. Researcher Cecile Richard’s technique improves root systems, allowing grain […]
AAS Launches Herbaceous Perennial Trial
All-America Selections (AAS) launches a new trial for herbaceous perennials. The perennial trial, organized along with the Perennial Plant Association (PPA), will follow many of the basics of the recently launched AAS […]
Seed Treatment Market Growth to Nearly Double by 2018
New York-based Transparency Market Research reports that the global seed treatment market will be propelled by the expanding global seed market, nearly doubling by 2018. “The competitive landscape of the seed […]
Beck’s Hybrids Expands in Southern Illinois
Beck’s Hybrids announced plans for an expanded research and distribution center in southern Illinois. Plans for the company’s newly-purchased 90-acre property include building a 92,000 square-foot distribution center, which will […]
Common Weed Could be Bred to Make Rubber
Prickly lettuce, a common weed that has long vexed farmers, has potential as a new cash crop providing raw material for rubber production, according to Washington State University scientists. Writing […]
Gene Discovery Holds Promise for Agriculture
A fundamental question pursued by plant scientists worldwide for the past decade has been answered by a researcher team led by the University of Sydney in Australia. “Our findings have […]
Marrone Bio Innovations Strengthens Sales Team
Marrone Bio Innovations, a leading provider of bio-based pest management and plant health products, welcomes new regional sales territory managers. “We are very pleased to welcome this talented group of seasoned […]
FarmLink Hires New Chief Strategy Officer
Missouri-based yield benchmarking service FarmLink hires Dave Gebhardt as its chief strategy officer for data products and agronomy. Formerly the director of agronomic data and technology at WinField, a Land O’Lakes […]
Photosynthesis Breakthrough Needed Now
Using high-performance computing and genetic engineering to boost the photosynthetic efficiency of plants offers the best hope of increasing crop yields enough to feed a planet expected to have a […]
Taylor Products Releases TRD 2000
The Kansas-based Taylor Products releases the latest in seed box handling technology — the TRD 2000, which is designed to automatically take a stack of three nested boxes from the […]
Registration Open for ESA Annual Meeting
The European Seed Association will host the 2015 Annual Meeting and the European Seed Trade Meeting from Oct. 11-13 in Vienna, Austria. Registration is open and available online at https://esa.conceptum.eu/Registration.aspx. […]
EPA Approves Enlist Duo in Nine Additional States
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its approval of Enlist Duo herbicide for use in nine additional states, including Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and North Dakota. The Enlist Weed […]
Sequencing Wheat’s Ancestor Might Bolster Yields
An international consortium of public and private partners plans to sequence the genome of wild emmer, an ancestor of modern wheat, according to a report from SciDev.Net. Scientists from the group say that […]
ASD Mostly Status Quo
When it comes to alternative service delivery for authorized seed crop inspection, there’s not much new to report. Minor tweaks and improvements are being made behind the scenes, but most […]
Canola’s Black Cloud Rolling Back In
It was the most damaging canola disease in the 1980s and early 90s, but thanks to cultivar resistance and extended crop rotations, blackleg has been under control for about 15 […]