Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Future remains uncertain for Ontario's sugar beet crop

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

by KRISTIAN PARTINGTON

Canadian sugar beet growers are unsure of how the 2011 growing season will shape up, despite last week's decision by the United States Department of Agriculture to allow U.S. farmers to resume growing genetically-engineered beets.

Glenn Jack, chair of the Ontario Sugarbeet Growers' Association, said environmental groups and organic farmers have appealed the Agriculture Department’s decision to partially deregulate the beets. Canadian and U.S. farmers must wait until as late as the end of March for results.

“We were ecstatic,” said Jack, when discussing the Feb. 4 decision. “Now we've got a few other words.”

In 2010, a California judge halted planting of the biotech beets until the Agriculture Department prepared an environmental impact statement. The full sugar beet impact statement is scheduled for completion in 2012.

It's estimated that since the commercial use of glyphosate-tolerant sugar beets was approved in 2008 in both Canada and the U.S. It’s used for all of Ontario’s crop and 95 per cent of the U.S. crop.

Canadian growers can still grow glyphosate-tolerant beets, regardless of the results of the appeal, said Jack, but if the appeal comes through there'll be nowhere to ship the biotech beets for processing.

Last year's court decision placed the entire future of the industry in jeopardy, he said, and U.S. government officials recently projected a possible 20 per cent decline in U.S. sugar production because of a potential shortage in non-engineered breeds.

Jack said growers here are in limbo and unable to plan until a decision on the appeal is made.

“We just don't know which way to turn,” he said, noting that if the appeal is upheld growers will have to revert back to conventional growing methods and breeds that aren't able to tolerate glyphosate herbicides.

He's hopeful, however, that a favourable decision will be reached.

“We're not quite out of the woods yet, but I'm sure we'll get there,” he said.

This is the second decision on deregulation of genetically-engineered seeds by the Agriculture Department in as many weeks. On January 27 it announced the deregulation of glyphosate-tolerant alfalfa. BF
 

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top