Kelvin Heppner takes the reins as host of Thursday’s RealAg Radio show, where: He starts off with discussion about the importance of STARS in rural communities across Western Canada, and how one Manitoba farmer is working to raise $50,000 for the organization. Kelvin is then joined by Jessika Guse to discuss the top ag news… Read more »
Tag: Canola Council of Canada
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 »
Farm groups call proposed neonic ban “very concerning” and “disappointing”
Agriculture industry and farm groups are voicing strong concerns about Health Canada’s proposed ban of two neonicotinoid (neonic) crop protection products announced on Wednesday. Citing risk to aquatic insects, such as mayflies and midges, not bees, the federal health department’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is looking to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam… 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: How much seed is enough and how much is too much?
Seeding rates are always a hot topic, and for good reason. The only thing more expensive than buying and planting too much canola seed is not having enough seed in the ground and losing yield potential. Canola Council of Canada agronomist Ian Epp is often asked, “Can I lower my seeding rate?” as farmers are… Read more »
Canola School: Innovation Team focuses on “training the trainer”
It’s a question people grapple with daily — is it better to be a generalist, with a knowledge on a great number of topics, or a specialist, who can talk with gumption about a specific field? The Canola Council of Canada has found a way to get the best of both worlds, with a group… Read more »
Canola Council looking forward amidst membership changes
Grower groups and value chain organizations are under constant pressure to deliver value for their membership. Proving relevance and value to an aligned value chain is a complicated balance of keeping an organization moving forward and towards agreed upon goals. But reaching that consensus on direction and capitalizing on opportunities can be a challenge when… Read more »
Canola Council president responds to Richardson’s departure
The Canola Council of Canada is moving on without a core funder for 2018, as Richardson International went public with its withdrawal from the national canola industry group this week. Richardson has said it did not receive enough value to justify its investment in the Canola Council, after pushing for changes to the council over… Read more »
Canola Council welcomes continued access to EU biodiesel market
The European Commission published its decision to allow Canadian canola to have continued access to the EU biodiesel market this week. “This decision means continued access to an important market for Canadian canola,” says Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). “The Canola Council has worked hard on this over the past… Read more »
Canola School: Should I be booking a clubroot-resistant variety?
As clubroot disease spreads in Western Canadian soil, growers who have yet to see symptoms in their fields have a decision to make: when should they start growing varieties that are marketed as resistant to clubroot? “From the Canola Council’s perspective, ideally, we all start growing clubroot-resistant varieties early. We take a proactive approach and… Read more »
Canola Council to cut budget by 25 to 30 percent in 2018
The Canola Council of Canada is reviewing all the services and programs it offers, including staffing, as it prepares for a significant budget cut and restructuring in 2018. At least two large grain company and processor members are not willing to maintain their current funding for the council. Both companies that sources say are pushing for… Read more »
Canola School: Determining the best variety to grow next year
Which clubroot-resistant canola variety with herbicide tolerance trait X is the earliest maturing in your area? What about the highest-yielding blackleg resistant variety with herbicide trait Y? Every year the Canola Council of Canada administers the Canola Performance Trials — a third-party small plot and field scale evaluation of current canola varieties. The program is… Read more »
Canola School: A lesson on moisture conservation and knee-jerk reactions
With memories of combines getting stuck, high disease levels and all the problems that come with excess moisture fresh in many farmers’ minds, the dry conditions through much of Western Canada in 2017 were a sharp reminder of why moisture conservation is fundamental to farming on the prairies. “One of the key learnings from this… Read more »
Clubroot found in Alberta’s Peace region
Alberta’s Peace region has taken flack over the years for its tight canola rotations. The snow-canola-snow rotation was once a laughing matter, but after today’s announcement the joke is no longer funny. The Canola Council of Canada has announced that clubroot has been discovered in the southeast corner of the northern Alberta region. This changes… Read more »
Canola School: Considerations for straight cutting as acres surge
“15 to 20 years ago it made me nervous to drive past a canola field waiting to be straight cut. But now…our genetics have improved, our ability to handle that crop, and the size of our combines and ability to handle that crop and harvest it in a timely fashion has gotten much better.” This… Read more »