Posted: July 14, 2010

Helping to increase grass production on rangeland and permanent pasture through improved control of weeds and brush is the aim of a newly registered Dow AgroSciences product.

The company announced Reclaim – a dual-mode tank-mix – is now registered in Canada. It offers control of broadleaf weeds, shrubs and invasive plants including buckbrush (western snowberry), wildrose, shrubby cinquefoil and wolfwillow.

"Reclaim will provide a much needed tool for the management of shrubs," says Jerry Olechowski, marketing manager with Dow Agro Sciences in Calgary. "A unique combination of active ingredients provides long lasting control while also being safe to grass."

The company says Reclaim has a favourable toxicological profile and no grazine restrictions for beef cattle and non-lactating dairy animals. Control lasts well beyond the year of application, meaning growers can wait an extended period of time before retreating. can help ranchers improve sustainability of the land and the ability to graze more cattle on the same number of acres.

"Reclaim provides extended control of challenging, species, including buckbrush, which is a growing problem in Western Canada for which control options are limited," Olechowski says.

View the Dow AgroSciences release here.

Posted: July 14, 2010

Israel-based Makhteshim Again Group, considered the world's leading off-patent crop protection product company, is set to acquire Albaugh Inc, a major off patent player in the Americas.

The two companies announced they have each signed a letter of intent providing for the acquisition.

Makhteshim Agan Group is better known in Canada as MANA, which stands for Makhtreshim Agan of North America. Albaugh Inc. is headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, where facilities include a glyphosate synthesis plant.

The acquisition is conditional upon the successful completion of several key steps including the signing and approval of a binding sales and purchase agreement as well as regulatory approval. Makhteshim Agan Group says it expects the transaction to close in the fourth quarter of 2010.

"The acquisition of Albaugh reinforces Makhteshim's position as the global leader in the off-patent crop protection industry by significantly expanding its operations in the Americas," the company says.

View the company news release here.

Posted: July 14, 2010

Results of a University of Guelph study have gained prominent national media attention for the conclusion that organic pesticides are more environmentally friendly than conventional products.

In fact, the study reveals, some organic pesticides can have a higher environmental impact than conventional pesticides because the organic product may require larger doses.

As an example of research was featured in the Globe and Mail and on the CBC website.

Environmental sciences professor Rebecca Hallett and PhD candidate Christine Bahlai compared the effectiveness and environmental impact of organic pesticides with those of conventional and novel reduced-risk synthetic products on soybean crops.

"The consumer demand for organic products is increasing partly because of a concern for the environment," says Hallett. "But it's too simplistic to say that because it's organic it's better for the environment. Organic growers are permitted to use pesticides that are of natural origin, and in some cases, these organic pesticides can have higher environmental impacts than synthetic pesticides, often because they have to be used in large doses."

The study, which is published this week in the journal PloS One, involved testing six pesticides and comparing their environmental impact and effectiveness in killing soybean aphids – the main pest of soybean crops across North America.

View the University of Guelph news release on the study results here.

Posted: July 14, 2010

Monsanto and BASF have announced an expansion of their plant biotechnology collaboration to include a fifth crop: wheat.

Develop higher-yielding and stress-tolerant crops is the focus of the joint effort, established in 2001, which already includes corn, soy, cotton and canola. In the original collaboration, the two companies dedicated a joint budget of potentially $1.5 billion, according to a joint news release. The new agreement will result in a potential additional investment of more than $1 billion by the companies over the life of the collaboration.

"Our yield and stress collaboration with BASF already has brought forth so many promising leads, the first of which we'll see on farm in coming years with our first-generation drought-tolerant corn," says Robb Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer.

"The expansion of our partnership reflects the fit between the two companies," says Peter Eckes, President of BASF Plant Science. "The yield increases that we have achieved together in the field so far give us confidence that we can do more in our collaboration crops, which now include wheat."

Regarding wheat, the partners say they will initially focus on developing biotech products for the North American and Australian markets. The first enhanced yielding wheat product is expected to reach the market after 2020. This product will be followed by successive generations of higher-yielding wheat varieties.

View the news release on the Monsanto website.