This canola is at the rosette stage. The photo was taken on June 23 near Indian Head, Sask.

Are you limiting your canola’s potential?

First, choose a yield target. Then figure out how you can get your crop there

Fertility is the first thing that usually comes to mind when thinking about canola yield targets, but should it be? Deciding how you’re going to get there when you don’t know where you’re going is like putting the cart before the horse. Warren Ward, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada, says growers need to […] 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


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


The diamondback moth is capable of producing as many as four generations each year. The earlier they arrive and the better the conditions, they more they reproduce.

Why was 2017 an unprecedented year for diamondback moth?

Reviewing economic thresholds and 
action plans to control this insect pest

Last year’s growing season was a freakish one for diamondback moth in Western Canada, and while the probability that an outbreak of this calibre will be seen in 2018 is very low, the possibility is always there. Knowing what to do and when to act can help you to get this insect pest under better […] Read more



Clubroot can damage more than just the bottom line

Clubroot can damage more than just the bottom line

Along with economic and agronomic problems, clubroot causes emotional damage

Clubroot is a potentially devastating disease for canola growers in Western Canada. Severely infested fields may not be able to grow canola in the foreseeable future. Less-severe fields may see yield drops without a change in farming practices. That adds up to a financial hit for affected farmers. But while the economic and agronomic realities […] Read more

Lygus bug: Profile of a crop pest

Lygus bug: Profile of a crop pest

The lygus bug is an interesting pest. Native to Canada, adult insects overwinter under plant debris and migrate into crops, including canola, alfalfa, soybeans and sunflowers. Arriving in spring and summer, they lay their eggs on crop stems. Lygus is a complex that refers to four species: L. elisus (pale legume bug), L. lineolaris (tarnished […] Read more


Lygus bugs: know when to spray them

Lygus bugs: know when to spray them

Researchers are revisiting economic threshold recommendations on spraying these bugs

[UPDATED: Jan. 31, 2018] Economic thresholds are developed and publicized so farmers will know when it makes sense to spray for a particular pest. For example, the economic threshold might be that if you have two bugs in your sweep net, the yield you gain will make it worth your costs and time to spray […] Read more

Rob Saik says he is pleased with farmer participation in the Canola 100 challenge, and impressed with decent yields despite adverse growing conditions.

Drumroll for the 2017 Canola 100 challenge results

Results of the second year of the contest to find a 100-bushel canola yield to be announced this week

Is the “green” going home this year? That’s the question that will be answered this first week of December as the results of the 2017 Canola 100 challenge are revealed at the Agri-Trend Agrology Farm Forum conference in Calgary. This is the second year of the three-year Canola 100 contest challenging canola growers from across […] Read more