n THE CARILLON STEINBACH, MAN. C4
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2026
Agriculture Now
SUPPLIED
Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill tested various natural projectile materials to control problematic weeds in potatoes.
Weed hunters reloaded: scientists targeting troublesome weeds with grit and innovation
ing and cost of projectile materials remain an obstacle for farmers. The team notes that farmers who grow high value crops like vineyard grapes or or- ganic crops that have limited herbicide options could benefit most from using projectile weed control. Traditional herbicides can’t be used in organic crop production, and or- ganic farmers rely on hand weeding which is costly and time consuming. Pairing projectile weed control with an organic bioherbicide provides these farmers with another option in their weed-fighting toolbox. It could even help reduce agricultur- al waste. “Some projectile materials like corn cob grit can be acquired from proces- sors that have it as a waste product,” he said. “This can reduce costs for farmers as well as divert materials that might have been bound for the landfill.” Weed hunters like Dr. McKenzie-Go- psill have shown that blasting weeds with grit and natural products can work. Like many innovations in agri- culture, success depends on where and how it’s used. For now, this approach is best suited to specialized, high-value crop production systems. With further innovation, it could one day become a more common sight in Canadian fields. Until then, the hunt continues. Brett van Heyningen is a communi- cations advisor for the public affairs branch, east region of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. duction, value-added processing, ap- plied research, and industry-academia partnerships. Through this framework, EIT Food and Manitoba Agriculture will ex- plore opportunities for joint research and innovation, knowledge exchange, startup development and internation- al market access to support the growth and competitiveness of Manitoba’s agri-food sector. The measure is part of the Sustain- able Canadian Agricultural Partner- ship, a five-year $3.5 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the com- petitiveness, innovation and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector. This in- cludes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion com- mitment that is cost-shared 60 percent federally and 40 percent provincially/ territorially for programs that are de- signed and delivered by provinces and territories.
by BRETT VAN HEYNINGEN W hat if a simple kitchen staple like baking soda could help Canadian farmers tackle stubborn weeds? Agriculture and Agri- Food Canada (AAFC) research scien- tist, Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill re- cently completed innovative research that explored an alternative method for controlling weeds. This “weed hunter,” investigated a technique called abrasive or projec- tile weed control. Using a sandblaster, Dr. McKenzie-Gopsill “shot” natural materials like corn cob grit and baking soda at weeds and found that they can knock back even the most stubborn plants, like lamb’s quarters and wild buckwheat, without damaging potato plants or reducing potato yields. This provides farmers with new tools for fighting invasive weeds in high value crops where herbicides are becoming less effective due to resistance. Next generation weed control Early research for the project com- bined abrasive grits, like corn cob, with reduced herbicide rates. The sim- ple idea was to weaken weeds with a “blast” of grit, then finish them off with herbicide. It worked, but results came with a catch. Using lower herbicide rates can actually encourage herbicide resistance. That’s a risk that Canadian farmers and weed scientists have spent decades trying to avoid. In the second phase, they dropped reduced-rate herbicides and instead paired the projectile materials with a bioherbicide, an all-natural weed con-
SUPPLIED Researchers targeting weeds in a potato field with baking soda and a conventional sandblaster at the AAFC Harrington Research Farm.
A practical solution for high-value crops While the innovative weed control method has shown promise, the sourc-
baking soda emerging as the most ef- fective projectile material. “We saw good control on problem- atic weeds with baking soda without any yield loss or damage to the potato plants,” McKenzie-Gopsill said.
trol product, applied with a hooded sprayer that shields the crop while tar- geting weeds beneath the crop canopy. Dr. McKenzie-Gopsill found that both corn cob grit and baking soda, when combined with a bioherbicide, controlled weeds like lamb’s quarters and wild buckwheat quite well, with
Province formalizes five-year plan to strengthen connection to European food chain by SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC T he Government of Manitoba has formalized a five-year strategic framework to strengthen agri- cultural and agri-food innovation with Europe.
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The framework is between Manitoba Agriculture and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food, Europe’s largest food innovation community with more than 200 part- ners dedicated to accelerating innova- tion and business creation in the food sector. EIT Food uses the Horizon Europe funding program, with a $151.9-billion budget for 2021 to 2027, to enable and advance innovation and entrepreneur- ship across the food value chain in Eu- rope and internationally. The agreement brings together EIT Food’s European agri-food innovation sector and international network with Manitoba’s strengths in agri-food pro-
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