Reading Time: < 1 minute Five Alberta canola producers were winners in DuPont Pioneer’s 2015 yield contest. Saskatchewan producer Florian Hagmann claimed top spot with 116 bushels per acre on his plot and more than 100 bu./ac. on the field using Pioneer seed. The Alberta winners were Jim Herder (Sylvan Lake, 84.3 bu./ ac., second spot), Ron Krywko (Sturgeon County, […] Read more
Bin-busting canola yields come to Alberta
Ten is the magic number for canola
Reading Time: 3 minutes In a year like 2015, the little things add up. “If we get lots of moisture early in the spring, you can just about broadcast your canola and it will grow,” Dan Orchard said at the Farming Smarter conference earlier this month. “But when years are tough, that’s when a lot of these little things […] Read more
Cinderella story: Canola crushes yield expectations despite rocky start
Whatever the reason for the surprisingly good yields, growers urged to stick to recommended practices this spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year was a head-scratcher for canola growers across the Prairies. “For a lot of our producers, it was a drought year, with a bumper crop and a wet harvest — those things shouldn’t go together,” said Keith Gabert, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada. This year looked like it would be a wreck […] Read more
Canola performance trials data available
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canola Performance Trials (CPT) 2015 small-plot data on canola seed varieties is now available. CPT 2015 had over 25 small-plot sites across the Prairies. The booklet includes results from short-, medium- and long-season zones, with yield and agronomic performance, as well as gross revenue for each variety and location. The trials provide science-based, unbiased and […] Read more
Three tips for feeding heated canola seed
Mouldy seed should be tested, it can gum up a mill, and don’t put too much in a ration
Reading Time: 2 minutes When it comes to feeding heated canola seed to ruminant animals such as cattle or sheep, there are a few things to keep in mind. “Canola seed that is heated might be discoloured and have a smell to it, but can still be used,” said provincial beef forage specialist Barry Yaremcio. “If there is a […] Read more
It was a year like no other for canola crops
Reading Time: < 1 minute It was a year when breaking the rules paid off for canola producers. Seeding deep and seeding late frequently produced better results than seeding early and shallow, which is rarely the case. And reseeding paid off, too. “There were a lot of things that worked this year that I hope you don’t do next year,” […] Read more
The clubroot onslaught continues — but there is some hopeful news
Alberta fields are seeing massive numbers of clubroot spores, but new research has found a 90 per cent drop-off after a two-year break
Reading Time: 3 minutes Clubroot’s march through Alberta is relentless and the level of infestation here is 100 times — or even 1,000 times — worse than in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. But there is a bit of good news: Moving to a three-year rotation is more effective than previously believed, says a Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “New work […] Read more
Business strategies for a down market
The bears are out, but here are some ways to manage through a time of tight margins and high risks
Reading Time: 5 minutes The grain market bears are out in full force, but while times are challenging, there are ways to manage through the latest downward cycle, say four Alberta farm leaders. “In 1980 — 35 years ago — I was selling spring wheat for $6 a bushel,” said Gary Stanford, president of the Grain Growers of Canada. […] Read more
Three Alberta canola directors acclaimed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Three canola producers have been acclaimed to the board of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. They are: Renn Breitkreuz from Onoway (Region 6), Kevin Serfas from Turin (Region 9), and Denis Guindon from Falher (Region 3). These producers will begin their three-year term as directors at the commission’s annual general meeting in January. Also taking […] Read more
New canola variety a milestone in the battle against clubroot
Double resistance a big step forward, but clubroot strains are quickly multiplying
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new canola variety resistant to multiple strains of clubroot will hit the market in time for spring seeding. But the new variety from Crop Production Services will only be available in limited quantities and a clubroot expert says growers can’t expect it to be “a saviour.” CPS Canada says the variety, Proven Seed PV […] Read more