Average canola yields

[freewheat]

My canola yields have been overall stagnant since 2002, the last year where it was dry and we had good conditions. that is part of it. But really,what I see, is the believers in seed breeding advances, usually seem to be in what used to be drought zones. It has been RAINING in those drought zones for a decade, so of course yields of all crops will trend up. I am with SF3, once the cycle goes back to normal, the yields will trend down, heck with what the breeders come up with for supposed "improvements".

Westar in 1987. 50 bushels an acre. Inputs, almost nil. Invigor in 2014? 40 bushels an acre, inputs and agronomy? Thru the dang roof.

Westar did not need bum wipers and babysitters to perform. The new varieties do.

1960. Thatcher Wheat. Yield, 60 bushels an acre. 2014. Utmost wheat. Yield 52. The thatcher input was diddly, the utmost was insane. Yet the thatcher yielded more.

To the breeding is the answer folks, ho can this be?

Weather? Agronomy? Seed varieties?

Do you all really believe that plant breeders have made the leaps you imagine, or are other factors at play? Let's hear your average precip for 1988 to 2003, and then from 2003 to 2014. Disker seeding to no till, ultra perfect paralinks? Fertility use in 1988 vs. 2014? Fungicide use in 1988 vs. 2014?

Again, it is not the varieties improving, it is the rain, agronomy, machinery. Unless you have replicated trials of thatcher against Shaw, using todays agronomy, prove to me and others that breeding has given us diddly please.

[MBgrower]

Ward.toma, do u have the same stats for fertilizer and fungicide trends over the same period?

[farmaholic]

Stormin, check the classified ads in the Western Producer. Or try Kijiji or Used(Where-ever) or farm auction sales. We have a 919 and they can be repaired, I believe Farmtronics in Regina repairs them. I would still rather rely on a real moisture tester over the ones built into a combine. What are you using now. Good luck with your search.

[MBgrower]

How many were still seeding canola with discers 25 years ago? Seed placement anywheres from 0-3".

[farmaholic]

http://www.usedregina.com/classified-ad/Grain-Moisture-Tester_23501785.lite


Are you close to Regina?

[farmaholic]

wmoebis, wasnt there a cell size issue with the labtronics 919? 2 1/2 versus 3 inch cell?

[wmoebis]

Yes a long time ago they changed cell size. Most the ones you find now are the 3 inch. Not sure if charts work on the 2.5's or not. I wouldn't bother with them. Elev are usually accurate and if you check your sample against them you will know if yours is accurate.
I get both CGC moisture tests and protein test samples to check my moist and protein machine. If you can find them.

[tweety]

Ya but they seeded 12 pounds at 25 cents a pound and plenty came up.

[Mjolnir]

I purchased a Shore model 920 several years ago. Just as accurate as the 919 we have in the shop and quite a bit handier for checking samples in the field.
http://www.shoremeasuring.com/index.shtml
I got mine at Falman Sales. The new model is the 930 with integrated scale.

[hobbyfrmr]

Labtronics 919. Coop or flamans sell them I think around 1200.00
So you have to ask yourself "was this running around with uncertainty about a rejected btrain for moisture worth $1200.00 ?".
Is the hassle of a moisture rejected btrain coming back home to you to put back in the bin, in -15c weather worth less than $1200.00?

[SASKFARMER3]

25 years ago no discer we had already moved on from the hoe drills and were using a flexi coil 5000 and direct seeding. Ammonia was the product of choice.

[ward.toma]

There is no data availalble for crop protection products through Stats Can that I can find. They used to collect land area that had product applied in the old ag census, but it is not available from the 2011 census.