Herbicide-resistant weeds have become one of the most pressing threats to Saskatchewan agriculture.
What began as a manageable challenge has escalated into a province-wide crisis. Resistant populations now infest approximately 72% of fields, resulting in an estimated $343 million in annual losses due to reduced yields and dramatically increased control costs.
Farmers are caught in an unsustainable cycle:
- Traditional herbicides are rapidly losing effectiveness as weeds develop multiple resistances.
- Input costs continue to escalate as more chemical, fuel, and equipment hours are required.
- Environmental concerns around heavy chemical use are mounting.
- New herbicide modes of action are extremely rare and costly to develop.
The current chemical-dependent approach is no longer viable — neither economically for farm profitability, nor environmentally for the long-term health of our soil and land.
Saskatchewan farmers deserve a better solution.lution. One that doesn’t rely on chemicals that weeds are increasingly able to resist.