Agricultural News
Josh Bushong Says Interest in Winter Canola Keeps Expanding
Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:45:17 CDT
Turnout at the Oklahoma-Kansas Winter Canola Conference in Enid Wednesday pleasantly surprised organizers and presenters. About 350 producers attended the event in Enid.
Josh Bushong, OSU Extension Canola Specialist, made a presentation at the conference and spoke with Radio Oklahoma Network's Ron Hays afterward about the enthusiasm shown by producers for canola. (You can listen to their full conversation by clicking on the LISTEN BAR at the bottom of this story.)
"We have a lot of interest out there. They are really motivated to learn more about canola. There's a lot of interest in this area and it keeps growing every year."
Looking back on how canola did for farmers who planted it this last season, Bushong said the results were mixed, but producers who attended the Enid conference, overall, seemed to be very pleased.
"Just like our winter wheat in the area, it has been very variable across the state. We had some areas that were really hit harder than other areas with the drought. Some guys exceeded their expectations and a lot of guys were happy with what they achieved and was still comparable with what their winter wheat made as far as yields and they still came out on top as far as economics. So, a lot of producers are very pleased."
Bushong said with the difficult weather this year it is hard to come up with an accurate average yield. Some producers ended up with nothing due to the weather, but others ended up with yields in the mid-50-bushel range. He said a good average guess would be in the 25- to 30-bushel range.
He said the trend of increasing production each year seems to be holding true for next season as well. Bushong said that seed sales so far this year indicate the state will have an increase in canola acres next year. He said there has been a 50-percent increase in planted acres over the last three years and he believes the trend will continue.
If he could only impart one piece of advice to new growers, Bushong said he would tell them: "Focus a lot of your resources on getting a good stand. If we have an excellent stand, it can tolerate a lot more other stresses-drought, insects, disease, what have you. So, getting a good crop established pays big dividends the rest of the year."
Bushong said he has spoken to a number of no-till operators who wonder if they can grow canola using such a system. He said the answer is "yes" provided that operators pay close attention and learn from those who have used the system before.
"Canola in no-till systems in this area have been real variable as far as the outcomes. Some years where we have a mild fall we can get that crop established like we should. In other years, like this past year, the fall is extremely dry and we had some early October freezes and we didn't have the plant size and the root size that we needed. Obviously, it just got compounded with that residue issue. So, with not till, I'm trying to get guys to get it planted a little bit earlier to get a little bit bigger plant size going into the winter. So, there are some issues, but most of them can be managed, and we have quite a few producers being very profitable with it."
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