The last strategic plan launched by the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) set the goal of 26 million tonnes of production by 2025. Tucked in to that strategic plan was also a shift in the Council’s approach to agronomy. “Agronomy changes over time,” says Clint Jurke, agronomy director for the CCC. “In 2018, we did… Read More
Soil sampling and having a fertility plan in place might be even more important after a drought year. There’s a good chance that the fertilizer applied in the spring wasn’t used up by crops. Where yields were lower than anticipated, it’s a good idea to get into the field, and see what’s left in terms… Read More
There are no indications China will be lifting restrictions on Canadian canola imports as a direct response to the exchange of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou for Canadians’ Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, according to the president of the Canola Council of Canada. The two Michaels returned to Canada on Friday following a deal negotiated by… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) has named Chris Davison as vice president, stakeholder and industry relations, and Troy Sherman as director, government relations, both based in Ottawa, Ont. “We are very fortunate to have Chris and Troy join our organization,” says Jim Everson, president of the CCC. “Together, they will draw on the strengths… Read More
Using clubroot resistant genetics and lengthening rotations are highly recommended practices for managing clubroot on the Prairies. But is there more farmers could do? “Ninety per cent of those clubroot spores can die with a two-year break, so one in three rotation, that’s really critical, if you have a shorter rotation than that, and you’re… Read More
As swath timing and harvest approach, it’s time to pay close attention to pre-harvest intervals. “PHI or pre-harvest interval is a really important concept to understand, and it’s actually a really easy concept to use,” says Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, in this episode of Canola School. “The labels are… Read More
Farmers will notice a significant difference with DEKALB canola seed bags going forward. Bayer CropScience has announced it will move to number of seeds/bag versus weight, to help farmers more easily achieve target plant populations. For 2022, each bag of DEKALB canola will contain no fewer than 4.2 million seeds — enough for 10 acres… Read More
It’s been dry in parts of Western Canada heading into canola flowering, but has it been dry enough to hold off on spraying for sclerotinia? That’s a question many growers and agronomists in drought-affected areas have been asking themselves over the last week or two. There are really two basic factors to consider in the… Read More
It’s well-known that canola does not like heat during flowering. As soon as daytime highs rise beyond 30 degrees C — as we’re seeing through the current heat wave in Western Canada — the plant can become heat stressed, which leads to blasting and aborted pods. High temperatures can essentially cause a breakdown in communication… Read More
Doing a stand establishment assessment might not be the most glamorous part of scouting, but it’s a really important piece of information to know how many canola seeds were put in the ground, how many have emerged, and why. “We know that canola seed is a premium input; it’s not a cheap thing to buy,… Read More
Early spring can mean risky temperatures, especially for earlier seeded crops; and if canola has emerged already, there’s a risk of frost. If your field has had a touch of frost, the first piece of advice from Autumn Barnes, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), is to pump the brakes. “There were… Read More
The Canola Council of Canada (CCC) has recently updated a few agronomy graphics, including the life cycle of blackleg. “We’ve had different life cycles in the past, but we wanted to update it and provide a little bit more information kind of in a one shot,” says Justine Cornelsen, agronomy specialist with CCC. In this… Read More
It’s still early days, but as we wait for soil temperatures to warm up in parts of the Prairies and for canola seeding to roll in full force, it’s good to review the potential for canola diseases. Root rot pathogens pose a certain amount of risk to a canola crop early in the season. Justine Cornelsen,… Read More
The organizations representing Canadian canola growers and the canola industry are welcoming a pair of Health Canada decisions regarding two active ingredients found in seed treatments for canola and other crops. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) released its final decisions following special reviews of the impact of clothianidin and thiamethoxam on aquatic insects… Read More
When soil moisture conditions are top of mind in late March, it probably means there’s either way too much or not nearly enough. For 2021, huge swaths of the Prairies are dry to very dry, and that’s got plenty of farmers and agronomists working on possible strategies for a dry seeding season. From yield targets… Read More