Race identification offers canola growers a precision-level guide to the exact resistance that they need, but will it work?
By now many canola producers have heard about race-testing blackleg samples. It’s a precision testing practice that recommends the canola variety needed to fend off different “races” of blackleg, the fungal crop disease costing Canadian canola producers hundreds of millions of dollars a year. One might look at it as another tool to integrate into […] Read moreTag Archives Keith Fournier
Clubroot removed from official declared pest list in Sask.
Richardson’s ground squirrel, grasshoppers and the warble fly are also no longer on the province’s list of declared pests
REGINA — Clubroot is among several pests the Saskatchewan government has now deregulated. The government in June repealed the Pest Control Act and replaced it with the Plant Health Act and its accompanying regulations. As a result, clubroot, Richardson’s ground squirrel, grasshoppers and the warble fly are no longer on the list of declared pests. […] Read more
Gene editing promises to open floodgates for canola traits
Company uses the technology to develop new varieties that will target pod shatter, sclerotinia and herbicide resistance
SASKATOON — Canola growers can expect a bunch of new seed traits to hit the market in coming years as gene-editing technology takes off, says an industry official. Cibus is one company doing a lot of work on that front and is expected to commercialize three new traits in Canada before the end of this […] Read more
Research priorities worry farmers
SASKATOON — Crop organizations say the federal government’s research priorities are increasingly at odds with those of farmers. The issue surfaced during the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission’s annual general meeting. “Are we in alignment or are we starting to see what our priorities are as growers isn’t necessarily the same priorities as the federal government?” […] Read more
New crop meeting format criticized
SASKATOON — A former deputy agriculture minister of Saskatchewan is pushing for a return to the old CropSphere format for the annual gathering of the province’s crop organizations. Alanna Koch made the rounds at the 2024 annual general meetings for the various crop groups, pleading with the organizations to turn back the clock. “I’m planning […] Read more
Low-moisture canola problem linked to straight cutting
SASKATOON — Canola growers in southern Saskatchewan want to know how much money is lost due to the low moisture content of their crops. Mark Alexander, a grower from Weyburn, Sask., recently asked the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) to conduct a study on the issue, which has become a thorn in the side of […] Read more
Review requested for how canola council is funded
SASKATOON — A farmer who helped establish the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission wants the organization to review its funding of the Canola Council of Canada. Zenneth Faye, who was also a founding member of Milligan Biotech, Canada’s first commercial biodiesel plant, asked the board of SaskCanola to examine the value that the council delivers to […] Read more
