What to do with high-green canola

Canola needs to move back up to 20% moisture and temperatures need to be 15 C or warmer before enzymes to reduce chlorophyll will restart and function effectively. Growers with high green canola in the swath have time to wait, if they choose, to see if these necessary rains come along.

Every field is different, so there is no one best answer on how to deal with high green. Here are a few questions to ask and sample scenarios to consider before making the decision to combine now or give the crop more time.

—How long has the crop been down? If canola has been down for three weeks and is at 6% moisture and 6% green, this crop has likely cured as much as it will without a lot of moisture to reactivate the chlorophyll-clearing enzymes. Two to 3 days of continuous showers may be required. One big rain is less effective because it does not keep the pods moistened for the time required to absorb high levels of moisture. Warm weather in conjunction with the moisture also helps. Once daytime highs are cooler than 15 C, the chance of any significant de-greening is reduced even with the required moisture. Warmer weather is forecast and it’s still September, so you could leave the crop for a few more days to see what happens. If the crop has only been down a week, it may still have time to cure — but if it’s already at 6% moisture (which is possible) curing may be over without some wet weather.

—If the crop has been down for a week or two and moisture is still at 10%, green counts could continue to fall. Added rains would be a bonus, so patience is encouraged.

—How much canola do you have to harvest? If you have one or two fields left, you may be in a better position to wait than someone who still has a week or more of steady combining to do.

—How is your other canola grading? If the rest of your canola is No.1, you may be in a position to negotiate a better deal for a few loads with higher green.

– Do you have other fields/crops to continue harvesting while you give these fields with high green a chance to cure further? You could skip over the high green field and come back to it later, especially if these fields are at greater risk for downgrading or yield loss if left in the swath while you harvest this high green canola.

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