Better Farming – September 2016

11 / 72

SEEDREPORT
Better Farming September 2016 Farm News First > 11
For many Ontario corn and
soybean growers, the new
regulatory environment is
challenge enough. Add a midsummer
drought that put many crops in
jeopardy, and it’s anyone’s guess how
2016’s crop will fare. Now, with
harvest 2016 looming in the not-so-
distant future, seed companies are
preparing to help their customers
make informed seed purchase
decisions for next year. Better Farm-
ing caught up with a few of them for
a recap of 2016’s season. Here’s the
scoop on 2016’s lessons learned and
what some seed companies are
promoting for next season.
Neonicotinoid headaches
Ontario growers are facing paper-
work, paperwork and more paper-
work if they want to continue
planting seeds that are treated with
neonicotinoid insecticides
imidacloprid, thiamethoxam or
clothianidin for 2017. The Ontario
government has given neonics their
own class of pesticide – Class 12.
Stephen Denys, past president of
the Canadian Seed Trade Association
(CSTA), is among the Ontario
growers who question the validity of
the information that contributed to
the new legislation which was enacted
in the name of pollinator health.
“We’ve come through a winter with
very low overwintering losses for bees,
and we still have a significant portion
of the corn crop treated with neonic
insecticide,” says Denys. “It’s time the
government acknowledges there are
other factors at play here and look at
the environmental benefits of using
neonicotinoid seed treatments.”
A July report from the Canadian
Association of Professional Apicul-
turists indicated that winter losses in
Ontario honey bee colonies dropped
to 18 per cent. Nationally, average
overwintering losses were 17 per cent.
Whether growers accept the
validity of the science behind the
decision doesn’t matter much now,
industry representatives say. The
important thing is that growers fully
understand what is required of them
before they pick up their seed order
next year.
According to the province’s
website, in preparation for the 2017
planting season, growers wanting to
use neonic seed treatments need to
complete the integrated pest manage-
ment (IPM) training, complete a pest
assessment report and sign a declara-
tion called an IPMWritten Declara-
tion Form stating that they have
considered IPM principles. “Nobody
likes red tape, but right or wrong, this
neonic thing is law and it’s not going
away,” says Martin Harry, eastern
marketing manager with SeCan. “It
changed the plans of a lot of growers
who didn’t think ahead (for the 2016
season), and some had to buy seeds
without neonics on 50 per cent of
their crops.”
Ontario's neonicotinoid regulations are now a fact of farming
and many growers wonder how to approach buying seed for next
year's crops. Ontario seed dealers offer
a rundown of options and new technologies on hand
for the 2017 growing season and share their insights
about 2016’s crops.
by LISA MCLEAN
Martin Harry
Photo: MARY BAXTER