Canola Community Connections

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: Sclerotinia Risk Assessment Tool – Beta-testers for the 2023 season: To help growers decide whether a fungicide application is advised to control sclerotinia, the CCC is updating their sclerotinia risk assessment checklist into a validated and interactive tool. The CCC is looking for beta testers to use the tool during early flowering in 2023, and then revisit fields during 30-60% seed colour change to assess sclerotinia disease severity to confirm the recommendation. Testers who complete both steps will be eligible for a gift card. To sign up as a beta tester, contact Chris Manchur, CCC Sclerotinia Lead.

DISEASE REPORTING AND TRACKING:
The Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network has updated their Quick Disease Reporter Tool to make it easier to use. Reporting is now done on a municipality basis across the Prairie region with no need to submit field-specific information. More information is available here. Please participate! The success of this tool is dependent on participation: more reporting allows better information and more timely action for all.  

ACCESS TO PEACE RIVER FIELDS REQUESTED: Once again, the Beaverlodge Research Farm IPM Team will be conducting its annual Canola Survey. This is the 20th year of the survey, which collects insect pest data and aims to detect the introduction of cabbage seedpod weevil in the Peace River region. The research team needs permission to access 100-200 commercial canola fields in early- to mid-flower stages across all main canola production areas of the Peace River region. For more information and to offer permission for field entry, contact shelby.dufton@canada.ca.

UPCOMING EVENT: Canola 4R Advantage Demonstration Tours
– August 9 at 9am – Manitoba 4R Day at EMILI Innovation Farms, Grosse Isle, Manitoba
– Aug 15 – at IHARF, Indian Head, Saskatchewan

Canola 4R Advantage demo plots:
The CCC has established demo plots to demonstrate 4R fertility principles and to talk about the Canola 4R Advantage program. CCC staff will be available to talk Canola 4R Advantage: 
– July 18 – Indian Head Crop Management Field Day – at IHARF, Indian Head, Saskatchewan 
– July 25 – Lakeland College Field Day in at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alberta 
– August 1 & 2 – Olds College field day, at Olds College, Alberta 

UPCOMING EVENT: Brown Soil Zone (BSZ) canola demo plot tours
– July 18 – Chinook Applied Research Association 2023 Crop Tour Day, Oyen, AB 
– July 20 – Wheatland Conservation Area (WCA) Field Day, Swift Current, SK 
– July 27 – Palliser Triangle Ag tour, Avonlea, Saskatchewan

UPCOMING EVENTS – ALBERTA:
– Chinook Applied Research Association Crop Tour Day – July 18, 2023 in Oyen, AB. More information is available here.

*NOTE UPDATED DATES*
UPCOMING EVENTS – SASKATCHEWAN: Agri-ARM field days Agri-ARM Field Days – A variety of SaskCanola-funded research projects will be featured as part of the Agriculture-Applied Research Management field days, held as follows:
– July 13, 2023: ICDC
– July 18, 2023: IHARF
– July 20, 2023: ECRF
– July 20, 2023: WCA
– July 26, 2023: NARF
– July 27, 2023: CLC
– July 27 & 28, 2023: SERF
More info on all the field days is available here.

UPCOMING EVENT: Saskatchewan Crop Diagnostic School – Indian Head, SK – July 25 OR 26 (choose one day only). Hosted by the Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation, this is an in-depth training opportunity to improve crop scouting skills and further one’s agronomic knowledge. Time: 8:00 to 3:00 each day with registration beginning at 8am. Cost: $100.00 per person (includes lunch). Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are pending for Certified Crop Advisors. Limited spaces are available – register early to guarantee a spot.   

UPCOMING EVENT: Farmer First Aid Training presented by Manitoba Canola Growers and FarmSafe Manitoba
Selkirk: July 18, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at Saint Andrews, MB
Dauphin: July 20, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at Dauphin, MB
More details here.

UPCOMING EVENT: Ag in Motion: July 18-20, 2023. 8:30 am – 4:30 pm each day. RM of Corman Park, Langham, Saskatchewan – 15 Minutes NW of Saskatoon on HWY 16. More details here.

UPCOMING EVENT: The Keep it Clean – Pre-Harvest Tips & Tools Webinar will be held August 1 at 11 a.m. CDT. Topics covered will include proper staging for pre-harvest glyphosate application, the importance of following pre-harvest intervals for crop protection products and scouting for disease. Register here.

UPCOMING EVENT: SaskCanola Crop Walk: Join SaskCanola director Keith Fournier for a Crop Walk Aug 2, 2023, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, in Maidstone, SK. Lunch will be provided. More info here.

UPCOMING EVENT: Combine Clinic for Agronomists is scheduled for the afternoon of August 3, 2023 at the Ag in Motion site (near Langham, just 30 minutes NW of Saskatoon, SK). There will be two sessions: one on understanding a combine and combine adjustments, and another on measuring losses behind the combine. Register today, as space is limited

UPCOMING EVENT – Manitoba 4R Day – August 9, 2023 at 9:00 am at EMILI Innovation Farms at Rutherford Farm in Grosse Isle, MB. The event will include stations that demonstrate new technologies and address solutions to today’s challenges. The event will feature an innovation farmers market that will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn more about start-ups in the space. Manitoba 4R Day will conclude with a complimentary lunch at 1:00 p.m. For more information and to register, click here.

UPCOMING EVENT – ALBERTA:
#ABBugChat is live on Twitter Wednesdays at 10:00am (MST) throughout the growing season.

INCENTIVE: As the Canola 4R Advantage Program enters year two, growers will have access to more cost-sharing opportunities. Funding limits for each of the four BMPs will increase from $6,000 per BMP per farm to $20,000 per BMP per farm. For more on these and other changes, watch this 12-minute webinar. Read Canola 4R Advantage year two: New incentives added. 

SURVEY – Should SaskCanola & SaskFlax amalgamate? Have your say here. The online consultation runs July 1 – Nov 17, 2023.

SURVEY – CSPW Survey: The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture is looking for canola fields in southwest Saskatchewan for the cabbage seedpod weevil survey. Interested producers can email Faith Hillsden to sign up.

SURVEY – NEW LINK: Canola storage survey: The University of Manitoba is conducting a Canola Drying survey to inform research projects for canola growers on grain drying and storage. The 19-question survey can be done in as little as 10 minutes and all responses collected will be anonymous. Aggregated results will be published in a farm journal. The survey is available here. 

SURVEY: Cover Cropping on the Canadian Prairies Survey. Masters student Jodi Holzman is surveying farmers with cover crop experience to collect production methods on growing cover crops on the Canadian Prairies. General results and best practices gathered will be made available to producers. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Click here to access the survey. Please read the preamble before starting.

SUPPORT: Are you or is someone you know feeling burnt out, unreasonably stressed or exhausted? Help is available.
– Support lines by province 
– Do More Ag Foundation
– Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program

SAFETY: Think safety first. Farm safety resources are available from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association.