By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Friday August 25, 2023

Aug 25, 2023 | 10:11 AM

Canada is siding with the United States in a trade dispute over Mexico’s restrictions on products made with genetically modified corn.

Trade Minister Mary Ng and Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said Canada will take part in dispute resolution proceedings as a third party.

Mexico imposed a ban in February on importing tortillas or dough made with biotech corn, a move its trading partners say is contrary to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

A dispute settlement panel under the terms of the deal, known in Canada as CUSMA, was announced last week by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Tai and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the ban is not based on science and ignores clear evidence that genetically modified corn is safe.

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The U.S. exports 17 million tonnes of corn to Mexico each year.

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Extreme drought conditions have forced B-C to place a fish protection order on the Koksilah and Cowichan rivers on Vancouver Island, restricting industrial and agricultural water use.

The order effective today said the 108 surface and groundwater-use applicants in the Koksilah River watershed must stop using water for forage crops such as grass, alfalfa and certain types of corn.

Officials said industrial use of the water is also banned, but watering for non-forage crops, livestock and domestic purposes remains legal.

A provincial statement said the Koksilah River is seeing persistent low-flow levels this summer, which threaten the local steelhead trout populations.

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A new partnership will see a new soil testing biology available in Canada.

Under the agreement, Taurus Ag will be the exclusive Canadian provider of Trace soil diagnostics.

Trace’s technology analyzing soil biology through metagenomics (sequencing all the DNA in a soil), agronomists can get a more detailed picture of the variables that impact product placement and seed selection.

Taurus Agricultural Marketing President Craig Davidson said it includes data on roughly 225 pathogens for over 70 crops, fertility insights on nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as all the standard soil chemistry tests.

“As the industry embraces this, there’s no turning back: decision-making in agriculture will reach unprecedented precision,” Davidson said. “We’re proud to be at the forefront of this revolution in Canadian agriculture and anticipate our forward-thinking customers will eagerly adopt this game-changing understanding of soil.”

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW