(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Damp, tough canola at risk for spoilage

Some Prairie canola growers may now be able to get back to their unharvested canola, but the Canola Council of Canada warns that tough or damp canola can still be volatile, even at cooler outdoor temperatures. The Saskatchewan agriculture ministry on Wednesday reported “a few” growers in the province’s southeast were out harvesting canola last […] Read more



Swede midge larvae.

Swede midge numbers low in Alberta

Reading Time: < 1 minute There is good news from a survey of swede midge larvae this summer. The survey was conducted at 42 canola sites in central Alberta in July. “Bottom line is that the survey found very low numbers of swede midge,” said insect management specialist Scott Meers. “As an example, we would typically find between one and […] Read more

There’s more to the canola dockage issue than meets the eye

There’s more to the canola dockage issue than meets the eye

Agreeing to China’s proposal would have put Canadian farmers 
and our canola industry at a competitive disadvantage

Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a lot at stake in the ongoing discussions with China to achieve stable canola trade. Important details are being missed in the headlines that growers and the agriculture industry deserve to understand. Many will remember the fall of 2009 when the Chinese government curtailed Canada’s growing canola trade because of concerns about blackleg. Through […] Read more


These clubroot galls are small but this is exactly what you should be looking for when scouting because your best chance to manage an infestation is to detect it in its early stages.

It’s been perfect conditions for clubroot

Wet conditions not only increase spore counts but may also favour development of strains able to overcome resistant varieties

Reading Time: 2 minutes This year’s wet conditions may leave a nasty legacy — more clubroot infestation and more strains of the pathogen able to overcome resistant varieties. “In the years where there is more wet weather, we expect to have more severe symptoms and more widespread infestation,” said Stephen Strelkov, a University of Alberta professor of plant pathology […] Read more

clubroot in canola

Extreme infestation may require extreme treatment

In really bad cases, putting a few acres into grass or forages may be the best way to contain clubroot pathogen 


Reading Time: 2 minutes Growers with extreme clubroot infestation are being told that the best option might not be to just stop growing canola for a while, but all annual crops in parts of a field. Seeding patches of heavily infested ground to grass or forages is now on the list of clubroot management practices recommended by the Canola […] Read more


Harvest of Newfoundland’s first-ever canola crop, a 30-acre field at Pasadena, N.L. was underway Friday. (Gov.NL.ca)

Newfoundland harvests first canola crop

Researchers in Newfoundland are set to test the oil and meal quality of the province’s first-ever canola crop after its harvest on Friday. The 30-acre research plot at Pasadena, N.L., about 30 km east of Corner Brook, “grew exceptionally well, surpassing our researcher’s expectations,” Steve Crocker, the province’s minister of fisheries, forestry and agrifoods, said […] Read more

(Cia.gov)

Canada, China agree to tighten trade ties

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China said Thursday they would start exploratory talks on a free trade pact, but gave few details about a possible extradition treaty for Chinese fugitives which has triggered criticism in Canada. Canada’s Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, elected last year, is trying to improve ties and increase trade with […] Read more


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in August 2016. (PM.gc.ca)

China, Canada resolve canola dispute until 2020

Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China have agreed on a solution to a trade dispute over $2 billion worth of annual canola sales, lasting to 2020, leaders of the two countries said on Thursday. The solution is “predictable, science-based and stable,” ensuring access for Canadian shipments to China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said […] Read more

Taste-testing during a Canadian Beef Advantage Seminar in Shanghai in 2013. (Canada Beef via YouTube)

China now taking Canadian bone-in beef

China’s premier has announced the country will accept bone-in Canadian beef from cattle under 30 months of age (UTMs) starting today, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The expanded access is expected to add another $10 million per year in exports to China in the short term, the CCA said, given that Canada’s beef cattle […] Read more