Canola producers can lose up to five bushels per acre – perhaps even more – if the combine isn’t adjusted properly. Here are tips to measure combine losses and make adjustment to limit those losses, putting more canola in the bin and reducing the volunteer canola seedbank in your fields.
A lot of canola crops across Western Canada need a couple of weeks before all seeds are physiologically mature. With the frost risk rising with each passing day, farmers wonder if they should hurry up and cut that crop – even if cutting it green means a big sacrifice of yield.
Canola harvested at 12.5% moisture (tough) or 15% moisture (damp) may not last long in storage before spoilage begins. How long it lasts is hard to predict. Here are answers to some common questions.
Canola fields swathed at 60% seed colour change (SCC) on the main stem can yield 8% more than fields swathed at 30% SCC. Run yield and profit scenarios for your own canola.
Fields that attract a lot of geese this time of year could be fields with a lot of harvest losses. Are your harvest losses so high that you’re attracting geese?
Optimal swath timing for canola yield and quality is when at least 60% of seeds on the main stem are showing some colour change. Here’s how to determine seed-colour change.
Late season hail can damage pods and increase the shattering risk for those pods. Before jumping the gun and swathing too early, take these decision-making steps:
The goal is to have bins clean before the next crop. This includes sealing or patching (if necessary) to prevent moisture from getting in, and cleaning to remove stored-grain insects.
If the priority is getting the crop in the bin (not maximum yield), swathed canola can be ready to combine earlier than standing canola…but swathing early does not necessarily mean combining early.
Here are some common questions from canola growers who are wanting to measure their losses at the combine.