Agronomy Insights

Common Practices Seen Among Top Canola Growers

When it comes to canola agronomy, what do farmers typically get right and what do they get wrong? I was fortunate to moderate a panel of local agronomists at Agri-Visions Conference & Tradeshow in Lloydminster in February. Dave Cubbon of Meadow Lake, SK, James Oberhofer of Marwayne, AB, and Mike Palmier of Plenty, SK discussed the top 5 agronomic tips to be successful in 2024. I was surprised there was not more overlap in their tips, but a central theme emerged: Successful farmers pay attention to detail.

Every decision a farmer makes has a margin of error, they said, and each decision can potentially move yield and profit up or down a percentage point at a time. The most successful growers are those who pay attention to each of those percentage points to maximize their profit.

They provided the following common practices among top growers:

• Don’t allow soil phosphorus to decline. All three agronomists agreed this is a major problem in all soils. They recommend including enough P to replace what is removed in the grain.
• Leave stubble intact. In wet or dry conditions, tillage typically makes the situation worse. Managing soil moisture and erosion are key to top yields.
• Soil test. This seems to be a basic recommendation, yet they said the majority of growers are not testing and are guessing what nutrients are needed.
• Proactively managing herbicide resistant weeds before they arrive on the farm. Growers successful at managing herbicide resistant kochia and other weeds have a plan before the weeds arrive. Tank mixing is the first step.
• Manage declining soil pH. Adding lime or wood ash will help improve soil productivity. Know which fertilizers contribute to increasing acidity.
• Manage unproductive and unprofitable acres. Using zone maps and variable rate inputs, taking unproductive acres out of production or utilizing drainage are all methods to improve profitability in a field.
• Choose the right cultivar (variety or hybrid) for each field. There are nearly a hundred canola cultivars on the market all with a different mix of disease, herbicide, maturity, harvest, and other traits. Each field will need a different package of traits.

By Clinton Jurke,
Agronomy Director, Canola Council of Canada