With the expansion of crush capacity increasing in southern Saskatchewan, the Canola Council of Canada is running the project to determine what issues may be different when growing canola in the brown soil zone.

Canola Council of Canada Agronomy Specialist Shawn Senko says the project is taking place in six sites, two in Saskatchewan (Avonlea and Swift Current) as well as four locations in Alberta (Colehurst, Grassy Lake, Lethbridge and Oyen).

Senko recently toured the Saskatchewan sites including the Swift Current location where they're working with Wheatland Conseration on the project.

Some of the factors being considered in the project is seeding depth, seeding rates and fertility.

So far the data in Saskatchewan is showing the best results are for the normal seeding rate and the three quarter inch seeding depth.

He says they show the most advanced plots and the ones with the best plant stand numbers.

Senko showcased the research project during Wheatland Conservation's Annual Field Day.

He also talked about the Canola 4R Advantage Program.

The program offers incentives to help growers initiate or advance 4R Nutrient Stewardship on canola acres to improve fertilizer efficiency.

Senko says there are four key areas within the program soil testing, variable rate mapping, enhanced efficiency products - like ESN or Super U (stabilizer products to help reduce the losses we can see under dry conditions when fertilizer is applied), and preferred application.

The fourth area of the program, the preferred application encourages producers to move fertilizer applications from fall to spring application. 

Senko notes with the preferred application they do cover the increased cost of fertilizer in the spring, but this is one of those weird years where the cost in the spring is actually lower than the cost in the fall.

More information on the Canola 4R Advantage Program is available here.

Funding for the Canola 4R Advantage is provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Climate Solutions - On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF).