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Is your canola seed where you need it? This quick video explains how to properly assess seed placement and depth.
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Canola Quiz – Pre-seed burnoff, May version
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Three new questions on pre-seed burnoff with information on effective tank mixes, dust and target weeds. Good links, too…
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How to improve early season weed management?
With early season weeds turning fields green across the country, it’s weed management ‘crunch time’. Effective early control is critical, as weed competition during crop emergence and early growth stages makes the biggest impact to ultimate yield. Maximize herbicide efficacy by optimizing every controllable factor:
- Ensure the tank is clean.
- Use an effective tank mix partner. Most acres should now be assumed to contain glyphosate resistant kochia.
- Where possible, get ahead of the drill. Smaller weeds are easier to control. Dust from the seeder will limit a pre-emergence herbicide’s efficacy in dry conditions. (Pre-seed burnoff tips for best results)
- Follow these tips for spraying in windy conditions.
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What are the top reasons for poor emergence?
Every year, Canola Council agronomists get called out to assess poor stand establishment. Other than frost damage, many of the factors (or combinations of factors) contributing to weak establishment are preventable at seeding. Consistently, the main reasons for emergence issues include:
- seeding too deep (the CCC continues to recommend seeding canola at ½-1” as erring too deep is more common and costly than erring too shallow),
- Group 2 herbicide carryover damage,
- flea beetles (see below),
- cutworms,
- seedling disease, especially in wet soil, and
- inconsistent seeding depth across the width of a seeder, especially with new or new-to-you equipment.
There is only one chance to seed well. Slow down. Get the rate and depth right. Make time to calibrate equipment regularly. Instead of seeding all cereal, then all canola, could there be a benefit this year to mixing up one’s seeding schedule (ie: cereals – canola – cereals – canola) to spread the risk? (Canola Calculator)
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What’s the cost of a harrow pass?
Harrowing, discing and other soil disturbance can help manage residue (sometimes) and can stimulate a flush of weeds for the following herbicide application. However, it can also dry soil, cause straw clumping, reduce soil structure and porosity, cause billows of herbicide-limiting dust, spread spores from diseases like clubroot and verticillium stripe, compact the soil, and add seedbed variability. The risk of seedbed damage via harrowing is much higher for shallow-seeded canola than deeper seeded cereals and pulses. Ask: is harrowing accomplishing your goals? What role does harrowing play in the whole season’s bigger picture balance of efficiency, convenience, risk and ultimate production returns? (Residue management in the spring) (Seedbed preparation) (Field study: canola emergence based on wheat residue treatment)
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Are you prepared for flea beetles?
Flea beetles are emerging and feeding, with heavy pockets reported in Southern AB, NW Saskatchewan, and the Red River Valley. Flea beetles chewing into volunteer canola now are a good reminder that they’ll be hungrily ready for the emerging crop. Warm weather will increase their activity. Seed shallow into adequately warm soil and a well-prepared seedbed to help the crop outgrow its most susceptible stage within the 3-4 week window of protection provided by seed treatment. (Canola seed treatments) (Flea beetle management tips) (Tips for a more integrated approach to flea beetle control)
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Canola Community Connections
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BETA TESTERS NEEDED for the 2023 season: Sclerotinia Risk Assessment Tool. 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, 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, contact Chris Manchur, CCC Sclerotinia Lead.
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RESOURCE: Want plant-count rings? The Canola Council of Canada has handy plant count rings to help agronomists and farmers calculate plant stands. Email Taryn Dickson at dicksont@canolacouncil.org to order yours for 2023. Canola Counts program
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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.
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PODCAST: The Canola Watch Podcast has a new farmer series.
This week’s episode features Scott Day, who farms at Dand, Manitoba and is the chief agronomist and a director with Fall Line Capital based in California.
Last week’s episode featured Joel Bokenfohr, who farms at Morinville, Alberta and is a business advisor with Farm Credit Canada.
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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.
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SURVEY: Alberta AgriSystems Living Labs has a survey for farmers and ranchers in Alberta and northern British Columbia about beneficial management practices used every day on farms and ranches. Understanding the levels of these practices is key to proving the value of the good work farmers do every day. Participants are eligible for prizes: $1,000 worth of fertilizer and others.
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RESOURCE: Missed the Keep it Clean 2023 Product Advisory Webinar? Watch the recording for a review of the crop protection products that may cause marketing concerns for export markets and best practices for pesticide application through the growing season. Read the full 2023 Product Advisory at keepitclean.ca
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RESOURCE: Calculate the right fertilizer rate. Here are a few online calculators:
– Manitoba fertilizer efficiency calculator
– Koch calculators
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RESOURCE: Verticillium stripe identification guide. The new guide has been added to the Canola Council of Canada’s suite of agronomy guides.
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PLEASE VOLUNTEER: Sign up to be part of provincial PEST surveys.
Pest monitoring programs provide valuable information and are used to create forecast maps, be part of research provincially and nationally, guide research decisions, detect and track new or emerging pests and support management decisions.
– Saskatchewan: Fill out this form
– Alberta: Email Shelley Barkley: shelley.barkley@gov.ab.ca
– Manitoba: Email John Gavloski: john.gavloski@gov.mb.ca
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PLEASE VOLUNTEER: Sign up to be part of provincial DISEASE surveys.
– Saskatchewan: Fill out this form
– Alberta: Email Michael Harding michael.harding@gov.ab.ca
– Manitoba: Email David Kaminski David.Kaminski@gov.mb.ca
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SUPPORT: Feeling burnt out, unreasonably stressed, or exhausted? Reach out for mental health:
– Do More Ag Foundation
– Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program
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