Terry Daynard

How Pop Ecology Misleads Agriculture Romanticized “pop ecology” oversimplifies nature and leads to costly mistakes in real-world crop management.

Pop ecology gives us appealing slogans—“nature knows best,” “the balance of nature”—but fails to reflect reality and so misleads agriculture. Here's what the ecology of reality actually tells us.
My latest... csanr.wsu.edu/pop-ecology/

A big desert lily flowering in a sandy wash, puffy clouds overhead.

A big desert lily flowering in a wash. Borrego Badlands (2-6-26). Photo: Sicco Rood

Phosphate‐solubilising microorganisms for improved crop productivity: a critical assessment Phosphate-solubilising microorganisms (PSM) are often reported to have positive effects on crop productivity through enhanced phosphorus (P) nutrition. Our aim was to evaluate the validity of this co...

For those considering purchase of a "biological" for soil P liberation, this overview is an essential read, "Phosphate-solubilising microorganisms for improved crop productivity: a critical assessment" nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
h/t @soilmicrocanada.bsky.social

The 'GMO Industry' Just Wants To Sell Pesticides? Anti-Biotech Activists Wrong Again Do biotech companies lie about the pesticide-saving benefits of genetically engineered crops? The activist group GM Watch says yes. Do they have a convincing case? Nope.

The 'GMO Industry' Just Wants To Sell Pesticides? Anti-Biotech Activists Wrong Again www.acsh.org/news/2022/07...

There is still a significant black farming presence near Chatham ON. A good museum at hamlet of North Buxton. This was a recognized northern terminus for Underground Railway, but not as safe from US bounty hunters as more remote areas (like Queen's Bush territory nearer here).

There's a strong Black community in Guelph, blackpastinguelph.com, but I think none remain NW of Kitchener. They got poor treatment when land was surveyed after ~1860. Many moved further north as well as back to the US.
That area in Ontario is now dominated by Old Order Mennonites who arrived later.

We've been to Anza-Borrego several times, but only once were we lucky enough to see Desert Lillies in bloom.

That Fugitive Slave Act is likely the reason why black immigrants to Ontario often settled (squatted) in 1840-1860, many miles away from the US border - for example, in the as-yet unsurveyed Queen's Bush territory north-west of Kitchener.
After US civil war, many returned south.

Europe’s farmers lost the Mercosur battle. They’re still ahead. Europe’s farmers are a minority. You wouldn’t know it from the political power they wield.

Officially, the EU’s Mercosur trade deal, approved by the majority of the bloc's members last week, is a defeat for Europe’s farmers.

In reality, farm lobbies just can’t stop winning.

Wish I was there! I see you even have desert lillies this year! So beautiful.

Is spring early this year at Anza-Borrego? I assume no desert flowers much near Palm Springs for another couple of months?

The long march to autonomy | The Western Producer The big players in the machinery market keep adding pieces towards autonomous vehicles for farming, but how far away is a final product?

The long march to autonomy vist.ly/4jbww #cdnag #westcdnag #Agritechnica #Agritechnica2025

Position du lever du soleil en fonction des saisons

Aujourd'hui c'est le solstice d'hiver dans l'hémisphère Nord. Les journées vont commencer à rallonger! Le soleil ne se lève à l'Est (centre de l'image avec Nord à gauche, Sud a droite) que lors des équinoxes. La position du lever change un peu tous les jours! (©Z. Al-Abbadi)

For those who follow @agronomistag.bsky.social and those who want to learn from him, join us on Mar. 10/26 from 6-7 pm for an interesting talk with Q&A after.

Quand des politiques disent "la France c'est que 1% des émissions de CO2, c'est aux autres pays d'agir", il faut systématiquement rappeler que le pays est le 8e plus grand émetteur historique et a donc une responsabilité très importante du réchauffement climatique actuel.

Are the bears finally losing their market grip? | The Western Producer Keeping tabs on market trends is important, but accurately gauging when trends begin to turn is a bankable skill.

Are the bears finally losing their market grip? vist.ly/4ehjc #cdnag #westcdnag

To each his own. I can't comment on rationale for decisions other than my own. But my primary interest in social media is in learning useful information.
And for applied agriculture, Twitter/X is still the best IMHO.
I still need Bluesky, however, so I can follow you. 😊
LinkedIn is useful too.

There's ample garbage on both X and Bluesky. I counter by choosing carefully who to follow. A smaller List helps too.
The above stated, X is a much better source of practical information on farm techology. I don't see that changing soon. I follow Bluesky too, mainly for more academic perspectives.

If the agricultural community, at least commercially oriented agriculture, is mostly on X, why would you want to leave it? There is no good reason why you can't be on both X and Bluesky.

ÉTAT DES CULTURES 🌽Avec près de la moitié des superficies de maïs-grain récoltées, les rendements s’avèrent finalement meilleurs qu’attendus pour la majorité des répondants.

vist.ly/4cg6c

🙏 Merci à G3, Les Moulins de Soulanges et Pioneer

Well, they are sure not leaving much in the field, though I am not really sure how that photo enhances the story.

Filières maïs – une troisième année de pertes sans perspectives de redressement - WikiAgri - Actualité agricole Après trois campagnes 2023, 2024 et 2025 déficitaires, les planteurs de maïs ne peuvent pas se permettre d’achever une quatrième campagne avec un revenu de nouveau négatif. Mais ils sont démunis pour ...

This great column from France, details how EU attitudes to ag technology have really harmed crop productivity, at least with corn/maize in that country. wikiagri.fr/articles/fil...

Your comment may be more relevant to Europe. There is lots of research on GM technology, at least for principal crops, in the Americas, though it's largely in the private sector (where the need for quick research papers is far less significant).

Scientists are modifying wildlife DNA. Should these species be released into nature? Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify plants and animals to be more resistant to threats like climate change. The IUCN is voting on whether those species should be allowed in nature.

Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify plants and animals to be more resistant to threats like climate change. The IUCN is voting on whether those species should be allowed in nature. n.pr/4hhtAxo

I agree with this thread completely, and get frustrated when "good" scientists, including in agriculture, say that they are collecting data to show that something is true.
Worse is when they persist in claiming something remains true when their experimental data show the reverse.

A major farm supply chain shut down recently in Canada and there aren't good alternatives yet nearby. Surprisingly, I can get what I need usually, quickly, and at a reasonable price, from Amazon on-line.
One problem is that returns are more complicated with Amazon than with a local retail store.

Too often, the only place I can find what I am looking for - even after checking in several retail outlets in a nearby city - is on Amazon. But I do recognize that virtually all of their "product ratings" are essentially BS.

Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? Sick of scrolling through junk results, AI-generated ads and links to lookalike products? The author and activist behind the term ‘enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and ...

"The author and activist behind the term ‘#enshittification’ explains what’s gone wrong with the internet – and what we can do about it"

I thought it would be harder to dump #Amazon. It wasn't. I haven't missed it.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Of note: "Of particular importance, the successful candidate will have a demonstrated understanding of the strength that is brought to science through diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility."

There is some planting of dry beans after 1st-cut forages here too. Beans are commonly not planted in Ontario until early June, and harvested in early-to-mid September. Almost no no-till beans here; most growers inter-row cultivate to help with weed control.