Canola field near Melfort, SK under wildfire smoke. Photo: Janelle Rudolph

Micronutrient applications compared in canola

Saskatchewan study aims to shed light on claims and concepts surrounding lesser-known crop nutrients

An ongoing northeastern Saskatchewan trial looks at micronutrient applications, specifically boron, copper and zinc, to see whether those applications boost yield in canola crops.

A canola crop in the RM of Fletts Springs, just northwest of the RM of Pleasantdale, in 2019.

Where the canola was: a history of Saskatchewan yields by soil climatic zone

Whether by nature, nurture or both, yields jumped in several zones around the turn of this century

Editor’s Note: Les Henry, the esteemed Prairie soil scientist and our longtime soils columnist, left us on June 14 at age 83. Up until the day before his passing, Les was working on and revising this column for the next (July 11) edition of Grainews. We’ll still have this on paper for you in a […] Read more



Canola plants in flower in a field north of Lorette, Man. on July 20, 2022. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie-wide canola variety trial program ending

'Current format' of CPT concludes: commissions

The sun is about to set on the current Prairie-wide canola variety evaluation program run by the three Prairie provinces’ canola grower commissions. SaskCanola, the Alberta Canola Producers Commission and the Manitoba Canola Growers Association announced Monday that 2022 is the final year of the Canola Performance Trials (CPT) “in its current format.” “Going forward, […] Read more


ICE November 2022 canola (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and 100-day moving average (green line). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Time gap too large in StatCan report

Canola's potential yields shrank in meantime

MarketsFarm — There has been about a one-month gap in between Statistics Canada having gathered its data for next week’s principal crops report and actually releasing the report. That’s something trader Ken Ball of PI Financial in Winnipeg finds irksome. “They’re using computer models of some kind. You would think they could get this out […] Read more



Canola south of Ethelton, Sask. on Aug. 3, 2017. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie crop tour sees slightly bigger wheat, canola yields

Saskatoon | Reuters — Canadian farmers were on track to reap slightly larger wheat and canola yields, despite dry conditions and a wide discrepancy in growth rates, a crop tour estimated on Thursday. The inaugural Grain World crop tour, organized by FarmLink Marketing Solutions, toured the Prairie provinces on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moisture conditions vary […] Read more



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

Harvest of Newfoundland’s first-ever canola crop, a 30-acre field at Pasadena, N.L. was underway Friday. (Gov.NL.ca)

Newfoundland harvests first canola crop

Researchers in Newfoundland are set to test the oil and meal quality of the province’s first-ever canola crop after its harvest on Friday. The 30-acre research plot at Pasadena, N.L., about 30 km east of Corner Brook, “grew exceptionally well, surpassing our researcher’s expectations,” Steve Crocker, the province’s minister of fisheries, forestry and agrifoods, said […] Read more