By Myles Dupin, University of Saskatchewan Student Should we scrap the pre-harvest application of glyphosate? Glyphosate used as a desiccant Glyphosate is being used as a desiccant on crops like wheat, barley, pulses, and oats (Fleury, 2017). Glyphosate isn’t actually a registered desiccant. Many producers use it as such because Read more…
Poison Squad set to determine acceptable limits for toxins in food If you’ve ever had the misfortune of eating something that results in food poisoning, then you know the agony that results. Curled up and shivering on the bathroom floor is not how any of us would want to spend Read more…
By: Baxter Watson, University of Saskatchewan Student The Issue There is no doubt that dicamba works to kill weeds, but policy changes restricting the use of the chemical could limit or even take it out of the hands of farmers. The herbicide is effective, while it, can also be difficult Read more…
By: Justin Cay, University of Saskatchewan Student Canola is a large cash crop in Western Canada. While wheat and barley pay the bills, canola makes a profit. According to the Canola Council of Canada, canola contributes $26.7 billion to the Canadian economy annually, providing 250,000 jobs. Of that, $12.22 billion economic Read more…
United Nation’s Human Rights Council corrupted by environmental activists If you enjoy eating a broad palate of healthy, nutritious foods, then you can thank the contributions from agricultural chemicals. The use of chemicals in crop production allows farmers to produce up to 67% more food than would be the case Read more…
By Kaytlin Robertson, University of Saskatchewan student Neonicotinoids are commonly used agricultural systemic pesticides typically applied to the seed and transferred through the vascular system to the rest of the plant, making all parts of it toxic to any insect that chews on it (LinkTV, 2012). There is a public perception that Read more…
Is it safe to eat a crop that has been desiccated? As of October 17, nearly 81% of Saskatchewan’s crops were harvested (91% in Manitoba & 73% in Alberta). When compared to the 5 and 10-year rate of harvesting averages it looks like our farmers are on track. However, after a Read more…
Since the World Health Organization’s International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) decision to classify five pesticides as carcinogenic (last week’s SAIFood blog believes this is an error) there has been a hubbub around pesticide use, particularly glyphosate (Roundup). One message that the environmental movement is strongly advancing is that Read more…
Environmental groups that are opposed to the use of innovative crop technologies such as genetically modified (GM) crops that are herbicide tolerant (HT), frequently like to proclaim that the use of these crops has resulted in a substantial increase in chemical use. The simple answer to this is, yes, chemical Read more…