Category: Canola Harvest

When we talk about harvest across the prairies, you can’t use a blanket term to cover any one province unless that comment is “variable”. In terms of exactly how much of harvest is done, some areas in the Alberta and Manitoba are finished while areas in the Northern Alberta haven’t even started yet. Yields for… Read More

Much has been said about the potential benefits of straight cutting canola. In particular with regards to yield and overall quality, straight cutting has been shown to provide some benefit. There are however some qualifiers attached to those benefits that have to work to avoid a wreck. It would be a disaster to lose your… Read More

I have been around canola fields my entire life and when you factor in all of the growing challenges and key points, the most misunderstood is the decision of “when should I swath?”  I get more calls to our office during this time of the growing season than any other.  Swath timing is incredibly difficult… Read More

Looks can be deceiving when you’re trying to figure out when your canola field is ready to be harvested. This year especially, varied staging in fields is a real issue. According to Jim Bessel, Senior Agronomy Specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, that varied staging will make harvest decisions a real “mindbender”. Bessel says… Read More

For a lot of farmers across the west, figuring out when to swath their canola fields may be as stressful as trying to get it in the ground was. The overabundance of moisture and the cool temperatures that producers had to deal with at the beginning of the season have caused varied staging in areas… Read More

Canola harvest is still a few months away, but it’s still a good time to get familiar with your combine. Last weeks “Picking up Profits” combine clinic put on by the Canola Council of Canada brought industry experts as well as a number of different combine manufacturers together in an effort to help producers limit… Read More

The start of the 2011 growing season was challenging to say the least. Wet weather and unseasonably cool conditions in the majority of the west had producers stressed out and wondering if they would get a crop in at all. That was the case in fact in large areas of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fast forward… Read More

Sclerotinia has the potential to be a big issue in rain soaked areas across the prairies. The disease tends to be prevalent in wet conditions in temperatures between 15 – 25 degrees. Sclerotia spores can live in the soil for up to four years. The spores germinate in the summer and release wind borne spores… Read More

In some areas of the country, whether on time or late, farmers will have to deal with seeding into cool, wet soil conditions. As we approach the 1st of May, farmers who haven’t seeded yet may be looking at planting canola in less than ideal conditions just to get the crop in the ground. The… Read More

This is appearing to be a difficult year to try and execute on a marketing plan that you can have conviction in.  Between the late crop, uncertain yields, carry out numbers being questionable and fluctuating basis levels, farmers are really having their marketing plans tested.  Even the most experienced analysts are questioning what is the… Read More