“The decision to straight cut canola has been increasingly made for farmers in the past eight years,” says Dane Froese, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture.

“The advent of pod shatter-tolerant genetics has made straight cutting canola much more attractive than it is to swath. By and large, farmers are defaulting to straight cutting. In fact, it’s likely over 70 per cent of producers in Manitoba do it already and that number is expected to rise.”

However, there’s no reason to park your swather in the back 40 yet — especially if you grow canola. For one thing, swathing expands harvest timing options; some farmers use a combination of swathing and straight cutting on a uniformly mature crop if they’d like to space out harvesting operations between fields.

Perhaps more crucially, swaths have a natural capability for drying down and maturing a crop without the use of costly desiccants and pre-harvest aids. Straight cutting tends to work best when the crop, canopy and stand are already well knit and uniform. However, when crops grow short of expectations, swathing can be a great tool for recharging the marketability of a low- to middle-tier canola crop.

Research has also shown canola will retain its quality in the swath better than other crops will.

“When you (swath) something like a cereal and you get rains on it, the quality usually drops fairly quickly, where canola can sit in a swath and get a massive amount of rain and will take more moisture than most other crops,” says Shawn Senko, a Saskatchewan-based agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada.

No shatter tolerance? Sorry, you have to swath

The most obvious reason for swathing is if you didn’t plant a pod shatter-tolerant canola variety in the spring. It’s fair to say most producers know what they’re planting, but if you aren’t aware of your variety’s shatter tolerance (this means resistance but is described as “tolerance” in the case of pod shatter), it may be worth a call to your seed retailer.

“If it’s a variety that shatters really easily, you almost have to swath at that point,” says Senko.

Adds Froese, “I wouldn’t recommend straight cutting those varieties at all. A lot of field hybrids and other hybrids don’t have that improved pod shatter tolerance.

“In that case, going out and swathing at that recommended 60 per cent colour change is the best practice. Lay that down into a fairly thick swath, cut stubble as high as possible to get all the seed and then run a roller over the swath, pushing the swath into the stubble so it gets knitted down and is somewhat protected from heavy winds.

“It’s usually about 10 days later that we see the crop change and move from 60 per cent seed colour change and become drier than the 10 per cent needed for harvest.”

Thin canopies benefit from straight cutting

You’ll want to check the quality of your canopy before making the decision to straight cut or swath. A canopy should be “well knit,” meaning the plants don’t sway and move independently in the wind. If they do, they’re at greater risk of pod shatter.

In cases like these, straight cutting is probably the better option, says Froese.

“Crops that are a little thinner are more susceptible to being blown about when they are placed into a swath,” says Froese.

“In the last few years, it almost seems like a guarantee that as soon as canola is swathed, we are going to get an 80- or 90-mile-per-hour wind that tends to blow swaths all over the field. Increasingly, farmers have tried to avoid swathing wherever possible and instead relying on pod shatter, high-reduction genetics to keep the crop in harvestable condition above ground and in the pods rather than going to the traditional swathing method.”

Part of keeping that crop in harvestable condition may include the use of a desiccant or other pre-harvest aid for drying down standing canola. However, these products have limits on when they can be used and still retain the crop’s marketability.

Swathing an option for variable crops and stands

As a general rule, swathing is a better choice when a crop is highly uneven or variable, says Froese. Uneven and variably mature crops can benefit from swathing because the swath hastens maturity and generally makes the crop a little more even in terms of dry down.

“We do tend to see that when we have really patchy emergence or really stagey crops like we do in flooded conditions.”

The canola industry strives for a plant stand of five to seven plants per square foot. If it’s lower than that — or higher in some areas and lower in others — that may be a sign you should look into swathing, says Froese. One reason is the individual plants in low population areas may be more likely to feature in-plant variability.

“If you’re in that three- to four-plants-per-square-foot area, swathing may be an advantage. Because of the non-uniformity of the canola crop, we might see a main stem that is completely ripe while the side branches could still be potentially throwing out flowers along the side.

“If a farmer isn’t willing or doesn’t have a contract that allows for the application of a pre-harvest aid or desiccant, then swathing as a mechanical means of terminating that crop is the best option.”

Then there’s the simple fact that higher density plants knit together better and run through a combine header much more uniformly and easily than low density stands. Leaving swaths of these subpar stands — not to mention haphazard, stagey and otherwise haggard crops — can help better prepare them for combining.

“Swathing can help even out some of those physical disparities in the field, making the canola swath a little more uniform and able to feed into the combine a lot better as well as allowing time for the crop to dry down when it might not have enough time when you’re running into a late season,” says Froese.

Fewer concerns of locking in green seed

Another scenario in which swathing might be the better choice is late-seeded or reseeded crops. This is a case where swathing’s natural desiccation can come in handy.

“If the farmer went in there and reseeded some of the sloughs and low-lying patches several weeks after the remainder of the crop, (swathing) would certainly be an option and might be well suited if they wanted to hasten the ripening process in those spots, not to mention trying to achieve full yield potential without having to break out the sprayer and spray every little patch, which could make it more non-uniform,” says Froese.

There are also less concerns over locking in green seed when swathing compared with using desiccants and pre-harvest aids before straight cutting, he says.

“The natural dry-down process with swathing is a little bit more forgiving in terms of allowing chlorophyll to dissipate from the green seed instead of freezing it in time and locking it in like a desiccant might if sprayed at the incorrect time.”

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A: Recently, there has been more discussion around straight cutting and harvest management of canola. New advancements in genetics that increase the integrity of the pod and greater focus on selecting hybrids that have characteristics that make them more suitable to a straight cut situation have improved the options. There have also been some advancements in desiccation technology.

These developments increase the opportunity for converting some of your farm acres to straight cut; however, if you are a follower of farmer discussions online you will see there are many successes and challenges that come with changing your management practices to suit a straight cut option.

Assess your fields

Some fields are more suitable for straight cut than others, and the weather will still dictate if it is a good decision to hold a field for straight cutting or swath now. If straight cutting is an option you are consider- ing, select your seed with that in mind. Look for hybrids that have all the attributes that suit your operation (maturity, disease resistance, stand- ability, tight canopy and straight cut research).Stage out the maturities so you have an opportunity to get across all your acres at an optimal time and be prepared to swath if the growing season dictates it. Hybrids with enhanced straight cut traits and attributes still need to be well managed at harvest to avoid yield or grade losses.

Desiccation can solve some field variability and green weed material issues. Swathing is a form of desiccation as it immediately cuts the plant off from its source of moisture. In-crop desiccants are also an option and need to be matched according to the field situation. Perennial weed problems may necessitate a herbicide versus a true desiccant. The results will be different among these options as should the expectations. Frost is also a desiccant and can lead to immediate requirements for some fast changes in plans when it comes to harvesting canola.

If you are planning to move more acres to straight cut, start with your weed control and seed decision, monitor the field and make your final cutting decision at the same time you would traditionally be starting to assess the field for swathing. Frost, late rains and wind can all change plans, and swathing or straight cutting earlier than expected may be the best decision to maximize your yield.

Lane Blanke, B.Sc., PAg, CCA, is a manager of agronomic services for Nutrien Ag Solutions in Swift Current, Sask.

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Some years the “straw” came out of the back of the combine looking more like silage and we learned that if the soil moisture profile was still full at the end of August we should desiccate with glyphosate or Heat.

Some years the crop had a particular lean to it and we had to experiment with the rotation of the cross auger, the direction of cutting and the speed of the draper to get the material to flow into the feederhouse.

Some years, the canola was good and dry when we got to those fields and we learned how super dry, fluffy canola likes to float up over the reel!

Now, all that learning may not sound like a lot of fun, but for the most part I have no regrets about straight-cutting canola. We’ve learned to manage the standing crop and it’s saved us a lot of money on custom swathing or having to go out and buy a self-propelled swather.

Pod shatter

One concern people often have when they think about straight cutting canola is shattered pods. I’ve been enthusiastic in telling my fellow farmers that this has never been a problem for us. We’ve left canola standing in some pretty strong winds and seen very little pod shatter or drop. After those same winds, I’ve seen my neighbours’ canola swaths spread hither and yon. You know the scene — canola stalks everywhere. It would probably be better to have some sort of vacuum attachment on your combine so you can pick up not just the swath, but everything between the swaths and along the fence line, too. On those years, I’ve always thought: I’d rather have standing canola in a wind than swathed.

We have grown a couple of different pod shatter reduction hybrids over the years, from both the Liberty Link and the Round-up Ready systems. However, we always found a yield lag in those varieties, so we didn’t see the value in spending the extra money for the pod shatter reduction genetics.

Every year is different

But… every year we keep learning. This year, on October 13th, almost 4 months after our canola was seeded, we had an extremely windy day and night. The next morning we went out to combine and there was a white tinge to our canola fields. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I walked towards the edge of the crop. On closer inspection I saw many shattered pods. Just the centre membrane of the pod was left attached to the stem. It was these membranes that showed up white against the rest of the crop.

Some of our canola had been desiccated, some hadn’t. We had three fields of L252 (a non-pod shatter reduction hybrid) and one field of L233P (a pod shatter reduction hybrid). Visually the difference between the L233P and the L252 was striking. There were very few dropped or shattered pods in the L233P field, especially compared to the fields planted to L252. The extra $10 per acre that it costs to seed the pod shatter reduction hybrids certainly would have paid off this year.

Also, unlike past years, most of the canola swaths I drove by on the way to my field, stayed in place remarkably well. Maybe all the rains we had had up to that point were weighing them down. For the first time, I did feel a bit envious of my neighbours who had swathed their canola.

I think the biggest difference between this year and previous years where our canola had stayed intact despite the wind, was how late the crop was out. It had been through several snowfalls and rain events and I believe the plants were starting to rot and had a lot less integrity than they would have had if we had the same wind event a few weeks earlier. The L233P hybrid certainly looked better visually. There were far fewer shattered pods on the ground. I can’t give a number on how many bushels we lost in the wind, since we didn’t harvest any canola before the wind to compare results. My one neighbour thought he lost up to 40 per cent on one field. My fields that were desiccated did not seem to fare better or worse than the ones that were not.

So, the lesson for this year is: if you plan to have your canola stay out four weeks later than it normally would and put it through several wetting and drying cycles, then maybe straight cutting is not for you.

Of course, I am saying that a bit tongue in cheek. No one plans for a harvest like the one we had in 2018, but it’s good to be aware of the potential risks. We will continue to straight cut our canola. We are planning to put in more acres of hybrids with pod shatter reduction technology. They cost about $10 per acre more, which equals about one bushel: an investment that would have had a significant return this year.

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A: Many growers have successfully adopted this practice and it’s a viable alternative to swathing and combining.

As a standing canola crop reaches maturity the risk of pod shatter and/or pod drop is a key impediment to straight cutting. However, the introduction of varieties with pod shatter reduction traits has eased this concern. Growers attempting this practice for the first time should strongly consider selecting a pod shatter reduction variety. After that, growing the crop is no different up to the point of harvest management.

As the crop approaches maturity, terminating growth with a pre-harvest herbicide application is strongly recommended. Spraying is essentially the replacement for swathing. This will allow the crop to dry down uniformly. If the crop is not terminated, later maturing plants or patches will delay combining. The selection of the product used to terminate crop growth will depend on the herbicide-tolerant canola system. Glyphosate can be used in LibertyLink and Clearfield canola. Apply it at about the same time as swathing. Glyphosate works slowly and can take three to four weeks before combing. Desiccant-type products such as Heat or Reglone (Stage) are faster acting but provide minimal pre-harvest perennial weed management benefits. In the case of Roundup Ready canola the desiccant-type products are the only option.

When you’re assessing the crop for combining, the physical appearance of the plants is not always a good indicator of seed moisture content. In many cases, growers have found seed moisture content to be much less than expected based on plant colour change.

Norm Flore, P.Ag,CCA, is a manager of agronomic services with Nutrien Ag Solutions in southern Alberta.

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That’s why you may want to consider using a true desiccant for more precise control over your harvest timing.

However, if controlling perennial weeds is a big concern — or you have a highly variable field — you may want to consider glyphosate or glyphosate plus a harvest aid.

On the other hand, if you got a good plant stand that provided uniform maturity — along with low weed populations, minimal disease or insect damage — then a true desiccant will provide fast dry down to ensure you get that crop harvested as quickly as possible.

Once you’ve chosen between a true desiccant and glyphosate, make sure you’re keeping up good spray practices. Coverage and maximum crop canopy penetration are key.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Maintain a slow, steady speed.
• Don’t spray in direct sunlight and heat.
• Optimize your spray nozzle pattern and height for good coverage.
• Remember that high water volumes provide the best coverage.

If you have any questions or concerns about drying down your straight-cut canola crop, get in touch with your local service rep before you spray.

Chadrick Carley is an agronomic services manager with Syngenta Canada.

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He’s evaluated the two harvest options closely, and Lovell is convinced there is risk of a 10 to 30 per cent yield loss from swathed canola on his farm near Clive, northeast of Red Deer. And he’s done a lot of hands-and-knees field inspections to determine that losses appear negligible when straight cutting. Even after having standing canola buffeted by exceptional winds in 2015, he still binned a 59 bushel crop.

“I think the pro of straight cutting canola is that you will harvest more crop,” says Lovell. “And on the con side, well it is really hard on your nerves. I haven’t swathed for more than 20 years, but it’s still hard waiting for the crop to mature.”

On the flip side, Kevin Serfas west of Lethbridge in southern Alberta is committed to swathing canola. With a lot of acres to cover with 16 combines in a three-month harvest window he says it slows him down to wait for standing canola to ripen.

“Swathing canola gives us a 10 day head start on the overall harvest season,” says Serfas who is part of the family owned Serfas Farms Ltd. “We plan on one combine doing 3,500 acres. If we went to straight combining we’d need one combine for every 2,500 acres.” He figures with often strong prevailing westerly winds yield losses would be higher if the crop was left standing. He doesn’t rule out one day switching to straight cut canola, but for now he’s sticking “with a system that works best for him.”

• Read more: Five reasons to hold off on swathing canola

The system that works for Wilson Lovell is to grow leading hybrid canola varieties — he works with different herbicide tolerant programs — and use proper agronomics to produce a good canola stand. “The wheat is always harvested first, but we keep an eye on the canola,” says Lovell. He waits for a killing frost before combining the oil seed.

“The crop can be fully mature, with 20 per cent moisture, so we let it stand. As soon as we have a couple nights of -10 C temperatures I know the moisture is gone and then we combine canola.”

Straight cutting research

Is one harvest approach better? Nathan Gregg, a project manager at the Saskatchewan-based PAMI (Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute), says that really isn’t a question he’s trying to answer in a three-year research project comparing straight cutting and swathed canola harvest system. He’s just looking for yield differences.

So what has he learned after two years?

“It doesn’t matter what you are combining and whether it is straight cutting or swathing canola or any crop, you’re going to have losses,” says Gregg. “If you ask farmers about harvest losses most will estimate one to two bushels per acre as the most common answer. But we found when you actually measure it, it is more commonly in the two to five bushel range. And depending on the situation we have seen losses as high as 10 bushels per acre. And it’s not always easy to see.”

Wind and wildlife activity are obvious causes of harvest loss, but travelling too fast with a combine is a leading factor. “We recommend travelling at three miles per hour and many farmers say they can’t afford to go that slow,” he says. “They might want to consider a second combine, and run both a bit slower.” While renting or leasing a second combine might be viewed as an added cost, he recommends pencilling it out compared to potential losses.

And he points out that all makes of combines have “leakage” — either at the cutting and gathering points at the front of the machine, or at the threshing and chaff collection and distribution points at the back of the machine.

Periodically collect and check what is being kicked out the back of the machine. Collect the straw and chaff from the full width of the back of a combine, get rid of the bulky material and actually count how many seeds are passing through.

In two years of a three-year project on average the swathed canola has produced about four to five more bushels per acre than straight cut canola. These are all common hybrid canola varieties. But, there is a but.

Improved shatter resistance

Most of PAMI’s research involved established hybrid varieties, but they also looked at a new hybrid from Bayer Crop Science L140P, which was developed with improved shatter resistance for farmers considering straight cutting. In the PAMI project straight cutting L140P allowed them to harvest three to four more bushels per acre over swathed and combined canola.

On the equipment side they are comparing draper headers, to rigid auger headers, to Varifeed headers. There wasn’t a huge difference between any of the systems, however if Gregg had to make a call, it appeared the rigid header had the most losses when straight cutting standing canola and the Varifeed system, which can get the cutter bar up to two feet out in front of the reel, had the least losses. Again, not a huge difference.

The PAMI research continues through 2016.

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