A new small seeds kit that includes a canola seed disc is now available for Horsch’s Maestro SW planters.

New Canola Ready Technology from Horsch

Small seeds kit lets Horsch’s Maestro SW planters handle canola with an easy conversion

Horsch has recently announced it now has a small seeds kit for its line of Maestro SW planters that will allow for an easy conversion to handle canola. It includes a stainless steel seed disc and quick-change meter components, which it says allows for fast planter change over. The brand also claims producers could see […] Read more



The plants in the unaffected areas were showing typical drought symptoms, such as pale colouring, shorter stature, minimal plant branching, and trace pod abortion throughout.

Crop advisor casebook: What’s wrong with this patchy canola crop?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the March 6, 2018 issue of Grainews

Ted, a Saskatchewan producer who owns a 3,000-acre mixed grain operation near Elrose, asked me to visit his farm last year on July 12. The visit was to assess if diamondback moth larvae populations in his canola field had reached levels necessary to warrant an insecticide application, to save the crop’s yield. Due to lack […] Read more

Canola nearing chart resistance

CNS Canada — The ICE Futures Canada canola market remains in a steady uptrend from a chart standpoint, with the May contract posting gains Monday for the 11th straight session. However, the futures are getting very close to upper resistance. May canola settled Monday at $530.50 per tonne, after climbing by roughly $30 over the […] Read more


When scouting for clubroot, one area to check is downwind of grain bins, Dan Orchard says.

Clubroot is coming to a field near you

The stakes are high, as clubroot has defeated resistant canola varieties and continues to spread

Dan Orchard has a blunt message for Saskatchewan canola producers. “I’m quite convinced that clubroot will come to your farm. It’s just too hard to keep it away,” said Orchard, agronomy specialist for central Alberta for the Canola Council of Canada. Orchard was speaking at the Saskatchewan Oilseed Producers meeting, organized by SaskCanola, SaskFlax, and the Sask. […] Read more

Reporter’s Notebook: Removing the stigma of clubroot

Reporter’s Notebook: Removing the stigma of clubroot

If we’re going to deal with clubroot, we need to consider the psychological issues

Back in 2015, I was in Australia, talking to farmers and others in agriculture about how they were handling herbicide resistance. Australian farmers have the unenviable task of dealing with weeds that are resistant to several modes of action. The country ranks number two globally for the number of herbicide-resistant weeds. During that trip, Brad […] Read more


When conditions are right, bertha armyworm damage can happen quickly.

Patience pays with bertha armyworm

Experts recommend holding 
the spray until you scout, 
and counting beneficial bugs

Late last summer, a canola field heavily infested with bertha armyworm in western Manitoba created a lot of fuss on Twitter, proving, yet again, just how localized population spikes can be in some areas. While sudden population spikes can cause panic, experts recommend that growers only take measures after they’ve got a good handle on […] Read more

canola flowers

Cooler July, thanks to farmers and canola

Swift Current temperature data shows different long-term trends in January versus July

This piece is a result of the Canola Discovery Forum at Canola Days in Saskatoon in December, 2017. Jay Whetter, former editor of Grainews and now communications manager with the Canola Council of Canada, invited me to address the issue of precision agriculture with specific reference to the role soil maps might play. My contribution […] Read more


(Video screengrab from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada via YouTube)

Plant protein supercluster makes cut for federal funding

At the table with artificial intelligence, big data, advanced manufacturing and ocean-based energy, Prairie pulse, oilseed and cereal crops are in for a share of federal support to spur innovation in Canada. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains on Thursday announced Protein Industries Canada (PIC) as one of five “superclusters” which will receive […] Read more

Chad contacted me about malformed pods on the upper portion of his glyphosate-tolerant canola plants.

Crop advisor casebook: What caused the malformed pods in Chad’s canola crop?

A Crop Advisor's Solution from the February 13, 2018 issue of Grainews

Chad, who owns a mixed grain and cattle farm near Togo, Sask., noticed something was not quite right with his canola crop. It was early August 2016 when Chad contacted me about malformed pods on the upper portion of his glyphosate-tolerant canola plants. “The pods don’t look right,” he said. “They’re all twisted up and […] Read more