Planting canola in fall can be risky, but a few farmers have experienced good results while spreading out their seasonal workload.
Arne and David Carlson have experimented with canola seeding in October and November for close to a decade on their farm near Gwynne, Alta.
The Carlsons, who use only Roundup ready varieties, think the good outweighs the bad and are prepared to take their chances rolling out the drill at the end of the year.
“Certain conditions don’t lend themselves, but this fall soil conditions were dry and there was no risk of fall germination,” said David, who recently planted two quarters of canola.
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“Your window is pretty small to get it in,” Carlson said, noting how early snow in 2005 and a wet fall in 2006 prevented them from seeding.
It’s an option for about 20 percent of his crop because of the risk, with spring being the most dangerous time.
He cited an 80 acre field that was killed one cold spring when the temperature warmed up and cooled off again, wiping out their labour, tractor expense and seed costs.
Sprouting crops atop knolls are also sitting ducks for frost, he said.
When it has all worked out for the Carlsons, it has meant a 10 bushel per acre yield advantage.
Disease and flower blasting in July are less pronounced because the crop is usually further along than spring planted crops.
Carlson said their fall planted canola produces shorter straw and a higher oil content and can be combined in August in advance of seeding the winter wheat crop in September.
“It expands our combine capacity and delivery opportunities with early deliveries in fall,” Carlson said.
Wilf Webber, a farm manager at Weyga Farms in Camrose, Alta., did not get his canola in this fall but said it has done well in previous attempts.
“We have to do it towards the end of the year so there is no germination,” he said.
The snow insulates the field and zero till in the spring preserves moisture in dry years, he added.
Webber said central areas are good candidates, but fickle chinooks in southern Alberta make fall planting unlikely in that region.
Matthew Stanford with the Canola Council of Canada in Lethbridge agreed some areas are better suited.
“In places where it gets cold and stays cold, there has been some success,” he said.
This year, wet and cool weather delayed harvest and made it more difficult to plant fall-seeded crops.
He said fall planting can effectively spread out the sowing workload so there is less to do in the spring.
The earlier emergence in spring also has other benefits.
“The potential is there to use early season moisture and not disturb the soil.”
Jim Bessel, senior agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada in Saskatoon, said there’s been little success in many other parts of Western Canada. New varieties are needed to increase acres.
