Where clubroot is a risk, are you stretching canola rotations or using a clubroot-resistant variety? Realistically, you should be doing both — and not all clubroot resistance is created equal. While industry and plant breeders should be commended for the speed at which clubroot-resistant varieties were introduced, we know now that that early, single-gene resistance… Read more »
Category: Canola
Canola rotation: “Do as I say, not as I do”
Anyone who was driving around the Prairies this summer saw field after field of beautiful yellow flowers. People who wanted to take pictures to show their relatives how canola turns the entire vista yellow had ample opportunity. At the same time, farmers surveying the same landscape likely couldn’t help but have an uneasy feeling in… Read more »
MacAulay announces $12.1 million for new canola research cluster
The federal government is investing up to $12.1 million over the next five years in a new canola research cluster under the new Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced the funding at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm & Food Discovery Centre south of Winnipeg on Tuesday morning. Provincial canola grower groups — Alberta Canola,… Read more »
Canola School: Blackleg — what’s new with an old foe?
Because blackleg has been around for a long time, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. So we’re shining the spotlight back on this old foe in this episode of Canola School, with Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Warren Ward and RealAgriculture Saskatchewan field editor Dale Leftwich. They cover the continued importance of… Read more »
InVigor planning to roll out canola seed count packaging in 2020
The concept of buying seed based on number of seeds, rather than weight, is certainly familiar for farmers who grow corn and soybeans, but it’s a new approach for canola. InVigor — which changed owners this week, from Bayer to BASF — plans to introduce seed count packaging to the canola market in 2020. “Starting… Read more »
BASF closes deal for LibertyLink canola and other assets from Bayer
BASF employees can officially get to work on the company’s newly-acquired business from Bayer. The company announced Wednesday that it has closed its acquisition of assets from Bayer, which competition regulators required Bayer sell to gain approval of its purchase of Monsanto that closed in early July. The 7.6 billion euro (C$11.5 billion at today’s… Read more »
Canola School: New tool helps optimize combine settings in the heat of harvest
Fast forward a few weeks. Picture the combine has started rolling in a canola field, and you’re not quite happy with how much seed is being lost through the back of the machine. Should you increase cylinder/rotor speed? Open the upper sieve? Maybe adjust the pre-sieve? Decrease concave clearance? Increase fan speed? Decrease fan speed?… Read more »
Canola School: Got pods? It’s time to scout for bertha armyworm
We’re nearly through the annual flight for bertha armyworm, and numbers are certainly concerning in some areas. If you’ve got canola headed in to podding, you need to scout — this nasty pest can cause a lot of damage in a short time. As canola moves past flowering and into podding, bertha armyworm will move from… Read more »
Canola School: How to help beneficial insects help you
There are a lot of bugs on the prairie landscape — most are beneficial, but the few harmful ones tend to get most of the attention. Sometimes it’s important to take a minute to find out who your friends are. There is a battle being waged in your fields, even if you can’t see it…. Read more »
The real value of a local crop walk
There have definitely been some real challenges this growing season across many parts of the Prairies. Although some areas have received adequate moisture, the majority of acres have been under a drier bias when it comes to weather conditions. With this variability comes decision making, but you have to make sure you are getting out… Read more »
Canola School: Waging war on clubroot
With the long list of other things on the radar to scout for in canola, it can be easy to overlook one or two. But one thing that canola producers need to remain ever vigilant about is clubroot — controlling this disease is an all-out battle, and scouting is a key part of planning for… Read more »
Canola School: Dialling in seedbed-safe rates for phosphate
All farmers want to get their crops off to a good start, and the right amount of phosphate gives canola that pop-up effect that farmers just love to see. There is, however, such thing as too much of a good thing. It turns out that although much research has been done on safe rates of… Read more »
Canola School: Here comes the next generation of sclerotinia resistance
Each July canola growers are faced with the difficult question, “Should I or shouldn’t I spray for sclerotinia?” In the more humid parts of Western Canada, sclerotinia is a huge yield robber. It usually strikes on the years when the canola crop has its greatest yield potential, but spraying is expensive and proper timing can… Read more »
BASF to sell Clearfield canola system as a condition for acquiring LibertyLink
The ripple effect from Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto continues in the canola seed business. Canada’s Competition Bureau says it has approved BASF’s purchase of Bayer’s LibertyLink canola system on the condition that BASF sell its own Clearfield production system for canola. “The Commissioner of Competition concluded that BASF’s acquisition of the Bayer assets would likely… Read more »
Väderstad rolls out 24-row small seed, high-speed planter
With growing interest in using planter technology to improve seed placement in canola, Väderstad has introduced a new 24-row high-speed planter designed specifically for small-seed crops. The Tempo L 24 made its debut at Canada’s Farm Progress Show at Regina, Saskatchewan, last week. “This is the first time we’ve had 24 row units on this style… Read more »