Do you have time for high-green canola to cure?

Growers waiting for green seed levels to drop before combining should weigh the risks. If you do get enough rain and high humidity to lift canola moisture back above 20% to restart the green-clearing process, will that canola ever dry back down enough for timely and efficient harvest? With the long cool nights of October, this becomes less likely.

The best bet may be to harvest the crop now to maintain the yield and quality that’s there, and start looking for buyers. Click here for a list of companies that buy high-green canola. Because canola with a higher percentage of green seeds tends to spoil faster, early delivery is ideal. Green canola is more valuable than heated canola.

Don’t want snow. The longer you leave canola at this time of year, the higher the risk of snow, which will further delay harvest. If canola cannot be harvested until next spring, high green will not be the only quality issue. When canola overwinters in the swath, molds build up on the seed, free fatty acids build up in the oil, overall bushel weight drops, and yield loss results from shelling and rodent feeding. The result is lower yield and often a downgrade to “sample.”