Reading Time: 4 minutes As clubroot continues to spread across Alberta, many counties are in the management — not a prevention — phase. Cody McIntosh, agricultural manager for Red Deer County, said the county inspected 140 fields this year. “We confirmed another five fields (with clubroot), which is kind of the trend that everybody is seeing,” he said. “We […] Read more
Counties remain vigilant — but not heavy handed — in clubroot battle
Extensive scouting, canola-growing bans, and seeking farmer buy-in are keys to containment strategy
Threshing losses could be costing you tens of thousands this harvest
Canola losses when combining are typically double — and sometimes five times — what they should be
Reading Time: 4 minutes How many tens — or hundreds — of millions of dollars might pour out of the backs of Prairie combines this harvest? No one can say for sure, but Vegreville producer Darcy Sarafinchan knows that if he’s not checking for issues when combining canola, the number can get big in a hurry. “When you start […] Read more
Got combine problems? Get the app
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canola Council of Canada has a new smartphone tool for dealing with issues when combining. The combine optimization tool offers a step-by-step process to zero in on the issue (such as grain loss or grain sample quality) and then offers the adjustment options most likely to correct the issue. “In combine adjustments for all […] Read more
Clubroot experts gather in Edmonton
Reading Time: < 1 minute A gathering of global clubroot experts will focus on creating a co-ordinated, cutting-edge approach to combating the soil-borne disease impacting canola growers. “With clubroot spreading across the Prairie provinces, varietal resistance breaking down and new pathotypes being identified, now is the time for a unified, collaborative approach to exchanging key insights and leading-edge ideas on […] Read more
A mediocre approach won’t cut it when growing canola
When you’re spending upwards of $400 an acre to grow this crop, yield-robbing mistakes are painful
Reading Time: 5 minutes With pulses slamming into India’s tariff wall, it’s not surprising many producers are thinking about more canola this year. However, even experienced canola growers can trip up with the small-seed crop. The biggest obstacles are a high failure to make a plant, its slowness to establish, and seed cost, said Greg Sekulic, a Canola Council […] Read more
Canola acres set to jump, but so will the risk of disease
Canola plantings are expected to increase by about one million acres, and that means more disease risk
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canola could top out at over 24 million acres in Canada this year — one million more acres than growers planted in 2017. “With the relative return right now, canola is looking better than wheat,” said Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “If these kinds of price signals continue or strengthen in […] Read more
Biosecurity on the radar for many crop growers
Clubroot sparks worry about outsiders — whether on ATVs or oilfield trucks — coming onto farms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farm fields should be as biosecure as a big barn — and that means preventing trespassing and knowing who’s on your land, says a Saskatchewan farm leader. The spread of plant diseases — particularly clubroot — as well as weeds means farmers are paying more attention to the issue, said Norm Hall, vice-president of the […] Read more
Get the latest performance data on canola varieties
The results from the 2017 variety performance trials are now available on an online, searchable database
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canola Performance Trials results for 2017 are now available in an online searchable database at the Canola Performance Trials website. Canola growers can use this online tool to finalize seed decisions for the coming growing season. The performance trials compare leading canola varieties in small-plot and field-scale trials. Results can be filtered by province, season […] Read more
Richardson pullout roils canola sector
Alberta Canola backs council, saying its marketing efforts and agronomic support are key to canola’s success
Reading Time: 3 minutes Richardson International’s decision not to renew its membership means a big financial hit for the Canola Council of Canada, but it could have been even worse. According to several reliable sources, Viterra had planned to leave too, but changed course — possibly because of a big cut in membership fees. Losing Canada’s two biggest grain […] Read more
Peace Country farmers told the time to halt clubroot is now
Workshops are being held across the region to arm farmers with best practices for combating the devastating canola disease
Reading Time: 2 minutes Clubroot was found in the Peace last summer — and that’s prompted an all-out effort to mobilize the farm community to do everything possible to halt the spread of the disease. Officials from the ag research group SARDA and local municipalities along with ag fieldmen are hosting workshops at seven different locations so producers can […] Read more
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