“If these cost estimates hold going forward, and there’s reason to believe that they will, soybeans will remain a relatively low-input crop.” – Daryl Domitruk, Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

The future of Western Canadian soybeans

Northern soybean seminar looks to profitability on the Prairies

There are challenges to expanding soybean production to Western Canada, but many, including Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers executive director Daryl Domitruk, see the potential for growth. Domitruk was among the speakers at the second Northern Soybean Summit, hosted virtually by Soy Canada in December. Contributors from throughout the value chain discussed the future of

Striped flea beetles gather on a canola plant.

Prepping for the 2024 canola crop

Planning for crop stresses now will set growers up for success when it is time to act: agronomists

Winter isn’t exactly prime time to scout for insects, diseases and weeds, but last year’s pests may provide a baseline to help prepare for the next canola crop, agronomists say. “Review the challenges you had last year and have a plan in place as to how you’re going to handle them this year,” said Warren


Rob Duncan, a canola breeder at the University of Manitoba, used genomic selection to design these canola plants. Breeders can select desired traits from across the entire canola genome.

Genome selection helps find next superstars

Sequencing the canola genome in 2014 paved the way for researchers to be more precise when developing new varieties

Glacier FarmMedia – In the 2020 Western Hockey League bantam draft, the Regina Pats had the first overall pick. They selected Connor Bedard. It was an easy pick and a good one. Bedard recorded 100 points in the 2021-22 WHL season and 143 points last year. In June, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Bedard with the

“If you think about removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, the best thing you can do is increase agricultural yields.” – Curtis Rempel, Canola Council of Canada.

Biofuels drive canola demand

Canola Council of Canada aims for yield research to meet demand

The Canola Council of Canada is seeking ways to increase yields to meet the rising demand for biofuels. “Biofuels seem to be taking the front-and-centre space for the oilseed sector, at least in Western Canada,” said Curtis Rempel, vice-president of crop production and innovation. Why it matters: The canola industry represents 207,000 jobs, $12 billion in wages and nearly


A symptomatic canola plant displays the telltale root galls of clubroot.

Resistance not full answer to clubroot

Fall is the time to think ahead on clubroot management

Glacier FarmMedia – Resistant canola varieties have played a major role in the war on clubroot, but they are not enough on their own, say agronomists. “Because clubroot is such a complex disease, it’s really important that we acknowledge that it will need a complex solution to manage it,” said Marissa Robitaille Balog, an agronomist

This year’s disease survey discovered another field with clubroot symptoms. file photo

The top canola diseases of 2023

Initial survey results were based on 100 fields this year

It has happened only three times in the last seven or eight years of surveying canola fields for infections. Manitoba Agriculture plant pathologist David Kaminski went into a field to gather data for the 2023 Canola Disease Survey and found clubroot. “It’s kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he said during


Blackleg and verticillium stripe are sometimes found in the same plant.

Raising the profile of verticillium stripe

Identifying the new-ish fungal threat on the block

Conditions weren’t ideal for verticillium stripe this year but the Canola Council of Canada says growers should stay alert when it comes to the disease. “Verticillium stripe is a soil-borne pathogen and it overwinters in the soil,” said Courtney Boyachek, agronomy specialist and verticillium stripe lead with the council. “Last year was a bad year

Verticillium stripe and blackleg symptoms can look similar, but once you know what you’re looking for they can be quickly differentiated.

Verticillium stripe symptoms

Is it verticillium stripe, blackleg or sclerotinia? Here are ways to find out

The Canola Council of Canada flags several verticillium signs: Stem striping When the crop is full height, but still green, infected canola plants will often have a two-toned stem — half healthy and green and half discoloured and drying down. This is where the disease gets its name. Leaves can show similar symptoms: healthy on


Survey to flesh out Canadian canola storage

Survey to flesh out Canadian canola storage

The University of Manitoba hopes the survey will provide a full picture of on-farm realities

Researchers from the University of Manitoba want to hear all about canola storage on your farm. A survey, also posted through the Canola Council of Canada’s Canola Watch, aims to provide better data on how farmers store the oilseed, how they dry it, the storage and drying issues they face and how they try to solve those problems. Why

The difference between a dry year and one with timely moisture is dramatic in the brown soil zone. Joseph McKee’s 2020 crop (shown in late July) yielded 65 bushels an acre while the dry conditions last year (photo taken in early July) produced a 20-bushel-an-acre crop on his Lethbridge-area farm.

Palliser Triangle: It’s hot and dry — and the next frontier for canola

With crush capacity soaring, canola council looks to the brown soil zone and new heat-tolerant varieties

Glacier FarmMedia – The canola industry has its eyes on the Prairies’ most inhospitable regions and knows potential growers will need support. The Canola Council of Canada is setting up research it hopes will drive sustainable canola growth in the brown soil zones of the Palliser Triangle, one of the hottest, driest regions of the Prairies. With canola