The Blog

Issues of the week: September 1, 2010 — Growers are anxious to swath late crops, but swathing before 50% to 60% seed colour change on the main stem cuts yield potential and could result in high green counts. We have tips this week on how to test for green counts without starting the combine and on setting the swather to …

We have lots of lodged canola this year, including some crops so flat you can walk on them. The challenge is how to swath these crops to make combining as fast and easy as possible. Here’s how to set the swather for better results: Extend reel arms so the reel is out front of the cutterbar. That way the reel …

With uneven maturity and later canola crops, this will be another year to watch green counts. Here are some tips to follow when testing for green seed: Rather than start up the combine to take a sample, insert a scoop shovel underneath the swath and use your hands to thresh pods near ground level into the shovel. These plants will …

Growers often wonder whether to swath right away after a light frost of minus 1°C or minus 2°C for a couple hours. Before doing anything, wait a day or two then assess frost damage. —Light damage may cause some seeds to turn “shoe polish” brown, but pods and most seeds generally remain intact and turgid. (The photo below shows light …

Issues of the week: August 25, 2010 — With cooler temperatures and elevated frost risk for some regions in the coming week, growers may be tempted to swath early to guard against frost. Growers with sclerotinia or hail damage are also inclined to swath early. We encourage growers to think twice in all cases. Read on to find out why.

Issues of the week: August 18, 2010 — Lygus bug numbers keep rising in central Alberta, with counts in some fields at 10 times economic spray thresholds. If spraying, pay attention to pre-harvest intervals. Sclerotinia stem rot is flourishing in some fields in the western Prairies, especially fields not given a preventative spray at flowering. This week we have harvest …

Sclerotinia stem rot infestations are high in many areas and the disease will continue to advance even after the crop is swathed. “Sclerotinia is showing up like gangbusters” in northeast Alberta, says Doug Moisey, CCC senior agronomy specialist for the region. Alternaria has also been reported. It is too late for fungicide application, given pre-harvest intervals (see the table at the …

Lots of crop is short this year, and with heavy rains in spots last week, some of that short crop is now lodged. As noted in Canola Watch the previous two weeks, swathing is preferred over straight cutting for short crop — even when lodged. Here’s a recap of tips for swathing short lodged crop: —Swath parallel to the typical …