With over 20 million acres of canola, a warming climate and practices that increase selection pressure, new pests are inevitable. Canola growers, pest specialists and agronomists are on the watch for swede midge, pollen beetle, verticillium stripe and group-9-resistant wild oats.
The Canola Council of Canada encourages growers to choose the best seed traits for each field. This could be easier if canola took inspiration from corn. Corn seed companies offer a long list of traits for each cultivar, giving farmers the information needed to choose cultivars that suit growing conditions and farm goals for each field.
Manitoba Canola Growers co-hosted Combine Colleges at Dauphin and Portage la Prairie in July. Here are few key messages from a general presentation on how to prevent and measure loss, and brand specific presentations from Case IH, John Deere and New Holland.
An Alberta study, with support from Alberta Canola, measured the efficiency of on-farm drying systems. The comparison of in-bin drying provided tips to improve fuel efficiency and reduce drying time and cost.