Triple your canola yield

Farmers who don’t like to think about feelings might have skipped this page. Now that we have your attention, learn how to recognize farm stress

Many people don’t like to talk or read about their feelings. But dealing with stress by burying yourself in work instead of talking can backfire. “We all, at times in our life, need some help getting back on track,” says Kathy Decelle, outreach social worker. Decelle has been counselling people in rural northwestern Saskatchewan for […] Read more

photo: joyce barlow

Three tips for a successful post-harvest burndown

There’s only a small window to get your 
weeds under control after harvest and 
ahead of the frost. Make the most of it

At the end of a long growing season with the harvest in and the fields clear it’s tempting to let your guard down against weeds. You may see a few spots of Canadian thistle and dandelion and feel that with frost coming on soon you can wait until spring to deal with them. Before you […] Read more


Diagnose your own problem

Diagnose your own problem

The Canola Council’s online diagnostic tool is 
there to help farmers identify problems themselves

Maybe it’s after work hours, or the long weekend. Or maybe you need to make a quick decision. It’s probably not going to replace your favourite local agrologist anytime soon, but the Canola Council of Canada’s website can be very useful when you need a little help. All you need to do is gather as […] Read more

lentil plants

How to harvest pulse crops

If you’re new to pulses or want a refresher, here are four harvest factors


With pulse crops, a successful harvest starts not long after seed goes into the ground, says Dale Risula, provincial crop specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Knowing when to use land rollers, choosing a desiccant and knowing the best ways to harvest and store the crops are all key to succeeding with pulses. 1. […] Read more


canola seeds

Storing higher-oil canola

It’s worth more, but it’s also more fragile. Know how to keep 
your specialty canola safe in the bin

Since higher oil content canola has less dry matter content in each kernel than lower oil content canola, it is prone to spoiling more quickly. On top of that, last year’s record harvest, coupled with nationwide transportation issues, means that crops are sitting in storage longer than usual and causing great concern to growers. Dr. […] Read more

swathed canola field

The best time to swath canola

The Canola Council’s recommendations on timing have changed. Keep up to date with the latest swathing guidelines

There is a lot of evidence that the best time to swath canola is at the 50 to 60 per cent seed colour change stage, but every year assessing seed colour change and actually swathing at that ideal time can pose quite a challenge,” says Angela Brackenreed, Manitoba agronomy specialist for the Canola Council of […] Read more


Three ways to sample

Three ways to sample

If you don’t want any nasty surprises later, make sure your 
sample is a good representative of the grain you plan to sell


Taking representative samples is a critical step to understanding the quality or other characteristics of anything that is tested in some way. Rarely, if ever, is an entire organism, crop or object tested for quality, consistency, disease, protein, etc. A sample is generally taken and the results of the tests on the sample are presumed to […] Read more

Pea root rot.

Root rot can be diagnosed, but confirmation may come too late

Root rot caused by aphanomyces can cause yield problems in peas. 
There’s no easy treatment, but farmers can still take preventative steps

It was early in the 2012 growing season when Bernie McClean realized something was wrong with one of his pea fields. The field had been seeded to peas several times over the years, but in 2012 the crop was “going backwards,” McClean, a Medstead-area farmer, said in an interview. Patches of plants were stunted. As […] Read more


ripe canola pods

Straight talk on straight cutting

It’s not for everyone, but some farmers are seeing 
benefits from straight cutting their canola

Steve Larocque of Beyond Agronomy in Three Hills, Alberta, has been straight cutting canola for the last four years. “The main reason we switched to straight cutting was because we couldn’t find a swather with a 30-foot knife that would work in our controlled traffic system,” explains Larocque. “Using a John Deere 9750 with a […] Read more

Make sure you get paid

You’ve grown a great crop and booked a good price. Now make sure you actually get paid

Before you shop a truckload of grain, it’s worth knowing a bit about who you’re selling to and what you’ve got in the bin. Doing your homework could make the difference between getting paid fairly and perhaps not getting paid at all. Under the Canada Grain Act, grain dealers and elevators, including primary and terminal […] Read more