Agriculture Roundup for Tuesday September 20, 2022

Sep 21, 2022

MELFORT, Sask. – A rail strike in the United States was averted, much to the relief of the agriculture sector.

Agricultural Retailers Association president Daren Coppock said a strike would have gridlocked commodity supply chains during harvest.

He said farm retailers were already feeling the impact of a potential strike as railroads started to cancel shipments of fertilizer products such as anhydrous ammonia and affecting domestic fertilizer production earlier last week.

A labour deal was brokered by Labour Secretary Marty Walsh who tweeted a deal was reached after roughly 20 hours of talks.Specific details on the agreement were not released. The talks involved 12 unions representing more than 100,000 engineers, conductors, mechanics, and other railroad workers.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.