Canola Watch

Canola Watch podcast host Jay Whetter moderated a live panel on 4R nutrient management at Canola Discovery Forum on December 2, 2020. This podcast is based on the recording of that panel discussion. Guests are Lyle Cowell with Nutrien in Saskatchewan, Mario Tenuta with the University of Manitoba, Dean Nelson, who farms in Alberta, and Adam Gurr, who farms in Manitoba.

Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Ian Epp and Alberta farmer Melissa Damiani help host Jay Whetter describe timely tips to produce a clean canola crop for export. Find all the tips at keepingitclean.ca.

Our guests are Shelley Barkley, insect survey technologist with Alberta Agriculture & Forestry, and James Tansey, provincial insect pest management specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. They joined our Canola Watch conference call this week to enhance our understanding of bertha armyworm risk assessment, scouting and thresholds.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientists Kelly Turkington and Dwayne Hegedus describe sclerotinia stem rot risk factors, spore-detection tools and spray timing. They shared these insights while participating in a Canola Watch conference call with the Canola Council of Canada agronomy team.

Cory Jacob, provincial specialist in oilseed crops for Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, talks with SaskCanola director Keith Fournier about crop rotation, especially as it relates to clubroot managment. Jay Whetter comes in at the end with a description of the six-ingredient clubroot management recipe. Read lots more on this topic at clubroot.ca.

Host Jay Whetter talks with Lyle Cowell, manager of agronomy services with Nutrien, Tom Jensen, soil science and agronomist, and Warren Ward, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, about nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulphur deficiencies in canola.

Lyle Cowell, manager of agronomy services with Nutrien, Tom Jensen, soil science and agronomist, and Warren Ward, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, talk with host Jay Whetter about 4R nutrient stewardship – and the benefits of getting an official designation. You can read more about the designation under the Nutrient Stewardship tab at fertilizercanada.ca. For more about the canola industry goals, search for “4R” and an infographic called “Canola’s sustainable future” at canoladigest.ca.

Under what circumstances might a Western Canadian canola farmer want to add a post-emergence top-dress of fertilizer? Lyle Cowell, manager of agronomy services with Nutrien, Tom Jensen, soil science and agronomist, and Warren Ward, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, answer that question in this Canola Watch podcast with host Jay Whetter.

Pythium species, Fusarium species and Rhizoctonia solani – the "three amigos" – can cause seed rots, root rots and stem decay on young canola plants. Seed treatments are generally pretty good, but Krista Anderson from Bayer CropScience, Mark Belmonte from University of Manitoba and Autumn Barnes from the CCC explain the factors that can increase risks. They also describe management options (including rotation) that can keep these pathogens of the soil microbiome from rising up.

Jim Tansey, provincial entomologist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and Keith Gabert, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada talk with host Jay Whetter about flea beetle behaviours – including how far they travel to find the first canola crops, major differences between striped and crucifer species, and how long the risk can last.

Sanitation of field equipment and scouting gear is an important step to improve clubroot prevention and management. But people are less likely to do the job unless they have a written plan. Mike Harding, plant pathology research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Food, Barb Ziesman, provincial plant disease specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and Dan Orchard, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, explain the three levels of clean, and the situations for each.

Canola Watch re-posts this April 28 audio presentation with two timely themes – trade with China and COVID-19. Presenters are Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada, and Rick White, president and CEO of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Brian Innes, CCC vice president, corporate affairs, is the moderator. Please note that everyone was working from remote locations, so audio quality is not always ideal.

Host Jay Whetter talks with CCC agronomy specialist Ian Epp and Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture provincial weed control specialist Clark Brenzil about the benefits of early weed control. They compare pre-seed burnoff and early post emergence applications, and make a good case for spraying first and then seeding. They also discuss tips on timing, temperature, rates and tank mixes to improve results for a pre-seed burnoff.

What is the best on-farm system to dry grain? Lorne Grieger, research project manager with Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI), and Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, talk with host Jay Whetter about an ongoing study that will help farmers answer that question. The study is an initiative of Team Alberta, a collaboration of four Alberta commodity organizations: Alberta Canola, Alberta Barley, Alberta Pulse and Alberta Wheat Commission. This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. Opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the presenters and not necessarily those of the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada and its directors, agents, employees, or contractors will not be liable for any claims, damages, or losses of any kind whatsoever arising out of the use of, or reliance upon, this information.

What to do about high-moisture canola as spring temperatures start to warm up? Host Jay Whetter talks with Lorne Grieger, research project manager with Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI), and Angela Brackenreed, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, to answer that question.

Farmers can greatly improve the survival rate of canola seed by achieving uniform seed depth in the half inch to one inch range. For this podcast, host Jay Whetter talks with Shawn Senko of the CCC, Rob MacDonald of BASF and Darcy Missler of Bourgault about practical tips to prep the seeding tool for seed survival supremacy.

A lot of farmers who normally apply nitrogen fertilizer in the fall didn't get the opportunity with the late harvest and unfavourable weather last fall. In this podcast, host Jay Whetter talks with CCC agronomy specialist Warren Ward and Manitoba Agriculture crop fertility specialist John Heard about six options for nitrogen application in the spring.

Host Jay Whetter gets an update on Canadian canola trade with China from Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council of Canada, and Rick White, CEO of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. The first 18 minutes and 30 seconds are about China specifically. For the remaining minutes, Jay, Jim and Rick talk about support programs to compensate farmers for lost markets, and about market development efforts outside China. Questions for this podcast came from farmers who responded to a pre-podcast survey.

Canola Watch teams up with Real Agriculture to offer podcasts recorded live at canolaPALOOZA 2019 at Lacombe, Alberta. In this podcast, the fifth of five in the series, hosts Jay Whetter and Shaun Haney interview Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist for Alberta Agriculture, Rob Gulden, researcher at University of Manitoba, and Darren Feitsma, canola grower from Ponoka, Alberta. The conversation covers major topics in canola plant establishment, including target stands, seed survival and secondary dormancy.

Canola Watch teams up with Real Agriculture to offer podcasts recorded live at canolaPALOOZA 2019 at Lacombe, Alberta. In this podcast, the fourth of five in the series, hosts Jay Whetter and Shaun Haney interview Breanne Tidemann with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Bob Blackshaw, recently retired from AAFC and Ian Epp with the Canola Council of Canada. The conversation covers major topics in weed management, including a conversation on combine weed-seed destructors and their place in integrated weed management.