Volume 37, Number 16 | October 17, 2011
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PRACTICAL PRODUCTION TIPS FOR THE PRAIRIE FARMER
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Four tips for choosing canola varieties Fall is the ideal time to evaluate canola varieties for next year. Running your own side-by-side trials is ideal for comparison, but regional data works too BY JASON CASSELMAN
H
arvest is the best time of year to decide which canola variety to plant next year. Field evaluation and variety differences are still fresh in your mind right after harvest. Now’s the time to review in-season notes regarding emergence, vigour, flowering, growth characteristics, swathing timing and yield information. This information helps you start making decisions on which varieties will remain in the lineup for next year and which ones will drop off and be replaced by the latest selection of hybrids.
COMPARE, COMPARE, COMPARE Canola variety selection is one of the primary steps in developing a successful crop plan. Decisions based on relevant information ensure the plan is sound and suitable to established yield targets. Farmers need to stick with varieties to local growing conditions and environments. Consult a range of sources for information to establish a short list of varieties to assess. These sources will include on-farm trials, local variety assessment and regional variety testing.
PHOTO: JASON CASSELMAN
How did this year’s varieties perform? At best, new lines are around for three to four years. Make the most of them by securing seed early. On-farm trials include information from your own fields or from a local farmer who is known for doing proper trials and recording accurate information. Regional variety testing is the data reported by seed companies and some third-party sources. The value in regional variety testing
is the compilation of data from a wide range of locations in the data set. The performance of canola varieties can vary from region to region; evaluate information on varieties to choose ones that are best suited to their farm. Ideally, you’ll have a few sideby-side or strip trials on your
own land to compare varieties. Establishing these variety comparisons and following through to harvest helps get true yield information and other important facts based on your own management and location. When harvesting, plot yield is not the only measurement to look at, however.
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Adjust for moisture and quality. Make notes on harvestability and other agronomic factors such as how fast one variety dried down compared to the other. Compare varieties on how each one handled growing season stress. Is one
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Wheat & Chaff ..................
2
Features ............................
5
Crop Advisor’s Casebook ..
6
Farmer Panel .................... 10 Columns ........................... 14 Machinery & Shop ............ 19
Get equipment ready for winter SCOTT GARVEY
PAGE 20
Meet this year’s Outstanding Young Farmers
Cattleman’s Corner .......... 24 FarmLife ............................ 37
STARTING ON PAGE 31
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