Canola on Canola

[wd9]

So lots of thoughts kicking around:

You cannot insure the crop and your
yield calculations will be zero for that
year.


Unable to buy hail insurance.

Premiums are doubled.

No government contribution on those
fields.

Any other methods?

Thoughts? While many actually have a
rotation, many are not. Will we protect
our crop or let some bad agronomic
decisions without personal consequence
ruin canola production?

[dave4441]

In order to make something stick the government would have to make some rule changes and it would be viewed a sticking their nose where it doesnt belong. So they will stay away from it. I guess grower orgs could lobby government but suspect they do not want to touch it either.

[ajl]

Come five years from now, canola will be
the only crop in Western Canada that will
be priced above production costs just
like corn is in the US. Hence corn on
corn down there. What will a rotation
look like then?

[wd9]

It will look like a diseased mess.

[hobbyfrmr]

I think that is how clubroot came to be

[Hopperbin]

And then neighbour clubath you.

[SASKFARMER3]

The one guy who sold had Canola on Canola
a few times. Not good not good at all. The
new owner Broadass just finished seeding
that field and guess what its Canola. So
will they do better we will see. But if
club root comes to our area because of
this guys should take action. Legal
action.

[furrowtickler]

A little lesson on clubroot - hobby. It all started years ago from green houses in the Edmonton area. Yes the canola on caonla, soil type and conditions from there north provided a good host, but not the cause. Not defending the canola snow canola rotation but just a little tid bit of info.

[Francksaskfarmer]

There is reluctance to “force” Crop insurance to charge higher premium for Canola on Canola. The Data shows a decrease of yield over time and some think that should be enough of a penalty to discourage the practice. However so far the loss of revenue is still not a deterrent because other crops are still behind.
On one hand we have a canola industry and market calling for more acres and on the other a lurking risk of disease proliferation.
Strong awareness and research investment in disease prevention and management is the key. We need an integrated approach that diminishes the risks.
Crop insurance is maybe one tool but a small one. If we advocate for freedom we need to take its risks too.

[wd9]

So Francks... while those are very nice
political words they mean jack shit in
the end, where is the accountability and
what are the solutions?

There are no new sources of blackleg
resistance. It is not known how long
clubroot resistance will last yet the
ones in the clubroot areas push the
rotation. Seed companies recommend 1 in
4 minimum.

Seed companies, government, researchers,
are doing their part. Seems the farmer
is the only one doing their part to ruin
this industry thru wrecklessness.

Canola on canola does not cause
clubroot. Introduction of spores do.
However there are a host of other
diseases, blackleg, rhiz, pythiums,
alternaria, schlerotinia etc that will
get smarter and tougher with bad
agronomics that will drift and affect
everyone.

[tstep]

What are your thoughts on growing peas--canola--peas or lentils. Aren't these all of the same family?

[wd9]

One is an oilseed and one is a pulse crop
so no. At least there is a 2 year rotation
although schlerotinia will be an issue.
Peas wheat canola barley would be a better
one.

[Francksaskfarmer]

I agree with you for the most part, and just like you, along with the provincial organizations wonder what the proper solution is. Crop insurance cannot be the puppet for anybody and everybody that wants to send a message on proper agronomics. Besides you cannot stop stupidity. I agree with you, all are doing their part except some bad apple farmers. Researchers have done such great job that farmers are confident they need not be responsible, that is where awareness is a must, and what makes this tougher is that these characters do not care to start with! So, how do we get awareness in the same idea as the "don't mess with Texas" no litter campaign that delivered the message to stop littering Texas. Do you really think with doubling crop insurance premiums they will magically stop Canola on Canola? Maybe a portion of them and that is my point, it is only a small tool in the toolbox… Maybe! I understand some AB counties banned growing canola for a number of years on fields reported to have had clubroot, did that help curb the disease?
Strong research investment in disease areas is more than ever necessary to understand and get a hold of the ever changing pathogens. On your blackleg examples, you state that there are no new types of resistances out there, but from interactions with scientist that is not entirely true. We do not know what type of resistance is available in each variety sold or the type of pathogen present in field. (that would be like applying a herbicide that I do not know what weeds it controls to a field that I do not which weeds it contains) That information would be useful as it is suspected that rotating varieties with different types of resistance to blackleg would strongly decrease the breakdown of resistance. And once you have that information, you need more … Awareness and Education.
So PLEASE don’t hit me with political crap shoot like you did. A canola rotation police will not solve stupidity, unless I misunderstood you and you are asking for a Canadian Canola Board that will only let all farmers in a designated area (Alberta for example, eh why not) deliver the equivalent of a fourth of your acres x 30 bu, so the farmers can be protected from themselves? Now that is a clever idea! Understand this last statement is meant strongly tong in cheek !)
I stand by my words strong awareness (education) and research investment hand in hand the key.

[wd9]

Franck thankyou for the reply. It is so
hard to get some discussion on this
topic. I sort of apologize for the
'political' shot, but both you and i,
although in alternate time lines, sat in
the same meetings listening to grand
philosophies of why things are
impossible.

Canola success was built on good SWOT
planning and crop rotation needs to be
moved up the ladder on the T (Threat).

Crop insurance would be a good
incentive, it would create awareness
immediately and give accountability to a
wallet, the policy that speaks the
loudest.

I was wrong, there are LIMITED sources
of resistance that have become
exponentially harder to find. Like penicillin, sure there will always be
new species right?

The message i hear from CCC is that a
short crop rotation is bad, but if
you're gonna do it, well these are the
things you should do. Is that a good
strategy basically advocating bad
behaviour?

Maybe we should think a little farther
than 2015. Back in 2004, 2005 when we
planned the 2015 strategy we grew 5 to 7
mmt. Even then we knew rotation would be
a serious problem but the 'accepted'
response was grow more on less acres.
While that has occurred it came at the
expense of rotation in a major part.

I would hate for this industries success
to be its downfall.

[charliep]

I suggested using BMP (best management practices) as a factor in crop insurance coverage/premiums and was beat on fairly severely. The arguement was poor agronomics/crop rotations likely already impacted yields/quality used in determining coverage levels so BMP factors would be redundant. Also, there could be a situation where a farmer used BMP by the book but didn't obtain the yield of a neighbor who didn't follow BMP by the definitions but did the right things in growing their crop otherwise.

An interesting topic.