QUICK CANOLA PRODUCTION GUIDE

Spring Canola (Northern Michigan)
  1. Prepare field and fertilize as for oats.   Fertilize according to soil test, including phosphorous, potassium and sulfur.  Include 125 lbs nitrogen per acre.
  2. Preplant incorporate 1 to 1.5 pints of trifluralin per acre.   Avoid any overlapping due to application pattern.
  3. Plant as early in the spring as soil and weather conditions permit.
  4. Plant 5 to 7 lbs per acre with grain drill (use small seed box).
  5. Harvest by direct combining at 9 to 10 percent seed moisture.
 
Winter canola (Upper Peninsula and Southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan)
  1. Select field free of perennial broadleaf weeds and spray with Roundup as needed to control perennial grasses.
  2. Prepare field as for winter wheat and apply P and K according to soil test recommendations, plus 25 lbs actual nitrogen per acre.
  3. Cultipack if necessary to attain a firm seed bed.
  4. Plant 5 to 7 lbs per acre August 25 to September 10 with grain drill (use small seed box).
  5. The following March, topdress the field with nitrogen at the rate of 125 lbs of actual N per acre.
  6. Harvest by direct combining at 9 to 10 percent seed moisture.



FOR MORE INFORMATION, TRY THESE CANOLA WEBSITES:

  • The U.S. Canola Association's (USCA's) mission is to increase U.S. canola production to meet the growing public demand for healthy products. Canola oil has the healthiest fat profile of any oil in the marketplace.
  • The overall goal of the Brassica Breeding and Research program is to develop genetically superior Brassica oilseed and condiment mustard cultivars ( Brassica napus, B. juncea, Sinapis alba, and others)  suitable for a wide range of environments throughout Idaho, the Pacific Northwest, and other regions in the United States.
  •  The Canola Council of Canada , an organization created to enhance the Canadian canola industry’s ability to profitably produce and supply seed, oil, and meal products that offer superior value to customers throughout the world, with information about all aspects of canola production.
  •  The Alberta (Canada) Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Department has a Canola Site with a variety of information about production and marketing.
  •  The University of Wisconsin-Madison also has an excellent section about canola in their on-line Alternative Field Crops Manual .
  •  Based in North Dakota , the Northern Canola Growers Association exists to promote and encourage the establishment and maintenance of conditions favorable to the production, marketing, processing, research, and use of canola and more.
  • CanolaInfo.org is an information source for dietitians, chefs, educators and anyone who wants to know more about the healthful aspects of canola.
  •  The Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission has some research, market development and extension materials online that are useful for Michigan growers.
  • The USDA Regional IPM Centers have practical information about cultural and chemical control of diseases, insects and weed pests.