Agricultural News
Canola Harvest Review and Winter Canola Conference Preview- Dr. Ron Sholar
Sun, 14 Jul 2013 05:56:46 CDT
Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University will hold their ninth annual Winter Canola Production Conferences July 17 and 18, according to the Executive Director of the Oklaoma Oilseed Commission, Dr. Ron Sholar.
On July 17, the conference will be held from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Enid, Oklahoma, Convention Hall. On the next day, the conference will be repeated July 18 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Oklahoma, he said.
A free lunch and door prizes will given at both locations, he said. Cultivar performance, insect, disease and production management will be explored along with climate outlook, industry updates and the economics of wheat/canola rotations.
This past Saturday morning, Dr. Sholar was our guest for our In the Field segment on KWTV, News9 in OKlahoma City. Click on the play button in the middle of the video box to watch that conversation. We also had a more in depth discussion about the 2013 crop, the Cnaola conferences and the future of canola here in the state- click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear that visit.
News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |
Sholar says that winter canola crop performance for 2013 in Oklahoma was much the same as the wheat crop. "There were a few good fields of canola harvested in southwestern Oklahoma," he said, "but for the most part, dry planting conditions last fall, sparse rainfall over the winter and late-season freezes severely limited the canola harvest south of Interstate 40.
"North of the interstate, like the wheat crop, there was sufficient moisture to make a good crop, in some instances. there were outstanding yields."
Sholar explained average winter canola yield in southwestern Oklahoma was 1,000 pounds of seed per acre with some fields yielding as much as 1,500 pounds per acre.
"North of Interstate 40 in the north central and northwestern portions of Oklahoma, the yields were much better," he said. "Fields averaged 2,500 pounds of seed per acre up to 3,000 pounds per acre.
"There were 240,000 acres of winter canola planted in the state last year," he said. "And 215,000 acres of canola were harvested. Drought and spring freezes took their toll on a lot of the crop." Sholar urges farmers to participate in the 2014 USDA farm census when they receive their questionnaire packets. "A lot of the information we have on the current winter canola situation in the Southern Plains is anecdotal," he said. " By that, I mean we are relying on opinions from seed sales companies, farmers and grain terminal managers. We urge farmers to fill out completely and accurately their questionnaires so our statistical information on winter canola and other crops are more reliable and accurate. Farmers can only benefit by properly filling out and mailing in their farm census information. "These reports are crucial for the USDA and others in agriculture to make decisions on crop insurance, yields and how well different crops are progressing."
As most people know now, winter canola is a relatively new crop to the Southern Plains. Developed from spring canola usually grown in northern US states and Canada, it's growth came from a team of agricultural scientists at OSU and KSU under the direction of Dr. Tom Peeper, OSU agronomist emeritus.
Originally the crop was developed to help combat perennial weeds in continuously-grown winter wheat in the Southern Plains. Such weed plants as cheatgrass and winter rye have spread relentlessly throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, North Texas and other states. Presence of the weed seed in harvested winter wheat when it is taken to the grain terminal results in serious price dockages for the farmer.
Winter canola is a completely different plant than wheat with a large tap root which helps it to become established in the soil after planting. An aggressive plant, it's presence in rotation with wheat disrupts the growth of the perennial weeds; cleaning up the fields.
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