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By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday February 25, 2020

Feb 25, 2020 | 9:45 AM

The president and CEO of the Canadian Canola Growers Association believes it will take months to clear the grain export backlog, following recent protests that have affected Canada’s railways.

Rick White says the protests, combined with last year’s strike at CN and derailments, have all caused grain export delays and tarnished Canada’s reputation as a reliable grain supplier.

Police in Ontario have removed a blockade in eastern Canada and rail disruptions to the West Coast have been removed.

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The swine sector is placing greater emphasis on strategies to prevent the introduction of diseases onto farms.

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Dr. John Harding is a professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. He said
in light of evolving disease pressures, prevention has become a top priority.

He said Canada has a very complex livestock sector involving multiple sites with large airspaces, transporting pigs great distances and the emergence of new pathogens, antimicrobial resistance and potential zoonotic diseases.

Harding said biosecurity is number one whether at the herd, regional or international level.

He said from the international side right down to the farm, there’s a lot of things that can be done to reduce the risk of infection.

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A crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture said wireworm damage in field crops is rebounding following the ban on organochlorine pesticides such as Lindane in 2004.

Neil Whatley said while current insecticidal seed treatments may repel wireworms for a growing season, their populations continue to increase and these treatment measures begin to fail.

Agriculture Canada’s wireworm research team is identifying wireworm species and researching new control measures.

Whatley said even the insecticides currently in use may be phased out and recommends an integrated management method that also applies non-pesticide approaches.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF