In this episode of the Canola School, Troy Prosofsky discusses the impact that the flea beetle is having on the Western Canadian canola crop. Troy also talks about the evaluation of flea beetle damage and when or when not to spray to control the pest. Flea Beetles can be terrible pests and if the damage… Read More
Category: Canola School
Canola School is everything you need to stay informed on the latest Canola market developments. Real Agriculture brings you the most up to date Canola farming information to help increase your yields all season long.
Many people think that if farmers get moisture you are ensured success. Well this year is proving that moisture can also bring challenges. One of those challenges is crusting (see picture below). Canola has a hard time penetrating any crust. This year the crust in many areas seems to be worse than usual and growers… Read More
As we mentioned last week, we are dealing with abnormal rainfall and cool temps in Alberta and Saskatchewan and that has pushed canola seeding back further than desired. Now that the calendar has entered June, many farmers have started hiring floaters to broadcast seed the canola seed. This is not ideal but the unfortunate reality… Read More
Okay I will say it…..this spring has been a real challenge. Crop staging is quite varied. We have plants battling frosty conditions and there is thousands of acres that have not been planted yet. If have crop up it feels like it is standing still in the water or colder temperatures and if you are… Read More
The weather in Western Canada this spring has really been unbelievable. With portions of March that felt like June and an April that felt like January, farmers have been stalled in the field. Many tractors and seeders were trapped in snow drifts for a couple weeks and many people were without power a couple times…. Read More
So far we have addressed seeding speed and seeding depth. The last piece of this seeding triangle is the seeding rate. Whether you are seeding canola, corn, soybeans or canola you need to make sure that you are seeding at a rate that allows you to get the proper emergence. As Derwyn Hammond, Canola Council of… Read More
Last week, we discussed seeding speed and the need to keep your seeder at an adequate speed to achieve desired productivity but not lose the accuracy required to get the proper plant emergence and stand. In terms of seeding depth a rule that I was taught long ago is that the smaller the seed, the… Read More
At the recent Canada Grains council meeting a listened to a full day of discussions around Canada’s market access issues across all the main crop types. The recent market access issues with canola are well documented and continue to challenge the countries trade attempts. With 85-95% of Canada’s canola crop getting exported, trade is very… Read More
Seeding equipment continues to get larger and larger which allows for more acres to be covered in a day. Even with the larger equipment some farmers still find it hard to control the speed of the tractor just so they can say that they covered so many acres in a day. Everyone needs to remember… Read More
With the advent of the introduction of seed treatments like Helix Extra, we do not hear as much about flea beetles anymore. The reality is that they are still around and could have an impact on your yield. Forecasts for this pest are difficult and we require the pest to eat the plants in order… Read More
With canola being one of the only crops in Western Canada that will enable a profit on the farm this year we need to do our best to protect it. One of the largest threats to canola yields is the cabbage seed pod weevil. The cabbage seed pod weevil mainly affects areas of Alberta and… Read More
For years many farmers just worried about nitrogen and phosphorus but things have changed. As we have discovered more about the way the plant reacts to different nutrients, farmers look to anyway to increase the overall health and yield of the canola plant. There seems to be differing opinions on the need for micro nutrients… Read More
In Western Canada, canola has become the key cash crop. This makes it even more incredibly important to ensure your canola crop has an adequate amount of fertilizer. Managing the nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur is incredibly integral to achieving the yield objectives you have set on your farm. Many times I hear farmers talk about… Read More
One topic that is dominating many coffee shops is the planting indecision of farmers across the prairies. Canola is one of the crops that does hold some promise for profits in the 2010 growing season. I wanted to discuss the things farmers should be thinking about in 2010 in terms of the canola market, especially… Read More
This year, perhaps more than ever, swath timing is critical for all varieties of canola. With the cold soil temperatures and dry spring and summer, there are many canola fields in Alberta and across Western Canada that are in a variety of stages and maturing at different times. Multistaged canola can make it difficult to… Read More