Yikes! Herbicide-Resistant Weeds Discovered

Jul 12, 2012

Ontario Farmers Faced with Long List of Resistant Weeds

Farmers in Southwestern Ontario are facing a growing list of herbicide-resistant weeds. The herbicide resistance is weighing down fruit and vegetable farmers in the region. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist representative Kristen Callow spoke at the Vegetable Crop Open House at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus where she highlighted some of the growing concerns among fruit and vegetable growers. She says that the newest threats are large crabgrass in onion and carrot fields.

The threats are serious because the resistance is now found in all ‘Group One’ grass and farmers don’t have any alternatives to control the pests for the growing season. Other weeds that farmers need to be weary of are glyphosate-resistant fleabane and ragweed that can be toxic and are spreading across the province. Both weeds spread rapidly because the seeds travel on the wind. Many fruit orchards in the province are battling the weeds that are being spread through seed carry over from the wind.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.