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Usually the best response to a light frost is to leave the crop standing to mature fully and continue to clear green…
Frost: Take patient approach to swathing
August 26, 2015
Swath timing
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Swath timing blues? Cut the first two rounds
August 19, 2015
Still wondering when to swath uneven crops? If earliest plants in a field show obvious signs of maturity, with lots of seed colour change on the main stem, then cut the first two rounds. Two full rounds give a good impression of the state of the whole field. And the cleared space makes it much easier to quickly check a…
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Swath or straight cut lodged crop?
August 19, 2015
Whatever the cause for lodging — wind, rain, late-season hail — the crop will present a harvest challenge. Swathing low to the ground doesn’t leave much stubble to hold the swaths in a wind. Swathing lodged crop often leaves a lot of bunches in the windrow. And lodged crop may need to be swathed in the same direction. Neither of…
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Swath timing for higher yield
August 6, 2015
The optimal swath timing for canola yield and quality is when 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change. Seed colour change (SCC) is considered any amount of yellow or brown on the seed. This increases crop yield because side branches have longer to fill and average seed size for the whole plant is larger…
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Uneven crops and swath timing
July 29, 2015
The swath timing decision becomes more difficult in crops with plants at multiple stages of growth. Here are some tips to help with the swath decision on these fields…
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Swath timing for uneven canola fields
July 22, 2015
Earliest canola in southern Alberta and here and there across the Prairies will be close to swath timing in the next week or two. Many of these early fields are not looking good, with patchy emergence, uneven emergence and short stature due to moisture stress. The swath timing decision becomes more difficult in crops with plants at multiple stages of…
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Frost in forecast: Swath now or leave it standing?
September 10, 2014
With light frost in the forecast, crop left standing will still have a chance to mature further and yield more. A heavy frost will lock in high green counts and likely increase yield loss with pod splitting and pod drop. Swathing before the heavy frost event may prevent this green lock, but the crop needs to dry down to a…
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It’s September 23. Do I cut that green canola?
September 10, 2014
As we progress further into September, growers get more anxious to swath. Swathing at 60% seed colour change is still preferred, but by this date some growers don’t want to wait any longer. Here are some scenarios that may help with the decision to go or wait…
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Seed still green but mature
September 10, 2014
This time of year, mature canola seeds can take a long time to turn brown or black. Growers wondering why seed colour change is taking so long may want to check the fields again and look for these other signs of maturity…