Karla Bergstrom to lead Alberta Canola as new Executive Director

Canola Watch is back with weekly updates!

In the latest issue of Canola Watch:

• Quiz – Four questions on timely weed management, including tank mixes for pre-seed burnoff and tips to improve crop competition
• Keep soil where it belongs
• Well-prepped drills allow maximum yield
• Does seed size matter?
• Make time for seedbed prep, even this year

Health and Safety Representative and Committee Training

If you have employees, you may be required by legislation to have a health and safety representative or committee on your farm.

AgSafe Alberta now offers health and safety representative and committee training online!

This training is free for a limited time only using promo code HEALTH22. Offer ends July 15, 2022

Clubroot yield losses assessed

Yield losses to clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, increased linearly as the Disease Severity Index (DSI) increased. Under greenhouse conditions, an increment of 1% in DSI resulted in a decrease of 0.9% to 1.0% in yield; under field conditions, this percentage was reduced to 0.54% to 0.62%.

While the rate of yield reduction was similar among susceptible and resistant cultivars, overall yield loss was lower in the resistant cultivars because they developed less disease. 

Alberta Recycling Pilot for Grain Bags and Baler Twine Extended to August 2023

A pilot program enabling farmers in Alberta to recycle grain bags and baler twine has been extended beyond its original three-year limit and has been granted $115,000 in additional funding. Scheduled to end this month (April 2022), the ‘Alberta Ag Plastic. Recycle it!’ recycling pilot will now continue operations until at least the end of August 2023. 

“This extension opens doors to expand the program to areas of the province not previously included, broadening opportunities for more farmers to participate in the program by recycling their grain bags and used baler twine,” said Al Kemmere, chair of the multi-stakeholder project lead, the Agricultural Plastics Recycling Group (APRG). “The long-term goal of the group is to expand the pilot into a permanent program.”