Questions of the Month

Will you try an on-farm trial in 2024?

Farms can run their own research trials to test how a particular practice or product performs in the local environment. On-farm trials could test, for example, the difference between 100 pounds and 150 pounds of nitrogen fertilizer per acre, or between acres treated or untreated with fungicide. They can also evaluate performance differences between new and familiar cultivars and the return on investment for novel products.

If you’re interested in trials, start with the Canola Watch Fundamentals article Quick tips for on-farm trials.

One tip from the article: Get advice. Agronomists with experience in trials could provide help on set up, harvest and evaluation. Agronomists may also have weigh wagons or know how to get one.

SaskCanola’s on-farm research program. Manitoba Canola Growers’ on-farm research program is featured in the Canola Research Hub blog post, How to optimize your nitrogen bank account.

How can farmers produce more without adding more acres?

Canola Digest magazine connected with four experienced agronomists and asked them all the same question: How can farmers grow more crop on the same land base? Here are short excerpts from each and links to the full articles:

• Dale Fedoruk, Elite Environmental Ltd., Red Deer, Alberta: Timing is one of those input decisions that does not cost any more to do, but the payback for timely tasks can be very rewarding. The whole article
• David Cubbon, agronomist, Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan: Producers have asked me for the magic bullet to grow a 70-bushel canola crop. I haven’t found one. No one management practice by itself will give top canola yields. Farmers who grow top yields pay attention to detail and use the science available. The whole article
• Tanis Sirski, retail territory manager with Corteva Agriscience, Grandview, Manitoba: Growers who achieve consistent top-level yields have the machinery prepped and inputs on hand so they’re ready when good seeding, spraying and harvest conditions come along – but they’re not waiting for perfect conditions. The whole article
• Curtis Littlewood, Advantage Agronomy & Consulting Services, Leduc, Alberta: To grow more canola on the same land base, choose cultivars with disease resistance that matches the needs of the farm, use a fertilizer rate that supports the field yield goal, and prepare the land for strong emergence. The whole article

Who is presenting at the Canadian Crops Convention?

Speakers at this year’s Canadian Crops Convention, March 5-7 at the Fairmont Winnipeg, include John Stackhouse from RBC, Alyssa Whitcraft from NASA Harvest, David Frum from The Atlantic, David Herle, political strategist and podcaster, and more. The Canola Council of Canada and Canada Grains Council co-host the convention, which gives attendees the chance to network with other industry members, learn from expert speakers and share ideas to help Canada lead the way on important global issues. Register by January 17 and be entered in the draw to win a four-pack of Apple AirTags. Find more details on the 2024 Convention and register today at canadiancrops.ca.
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