U.S. Canola Association

Search

Clubroot Incidence and Management in Canola

By Venkata Chapara, Ph.D.

Clubroot disease on canola is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, a soil-borne pathogen that moves from field to field on both agricultural and non-agricultural equipment. In simple words, it moves from whatever moves the soil. With an objective to determine the extent of disease spread in North Dakota, clubroot incidence and prevalence has been monitored in annual surveys for six years by examining canola roots for clubs/galls. These surveys have been funded by the Northern Canola Growers Association, Northern Canola Research Program (USDA/NIFA), SBARE and NDCP Product Harmonization Board.

Results indicate that clubroot on canola is so far endemic to Cavalier County since its first identification in North Dakota via visual galls on roots. The highest number of canola fields with clubroot incidence was recorded in 2018 (31% of the canola fields that were surveyed were found with galls on roots) and the lowest (5%) in 2021 (Figure 1).

Read More »

Productivity Doesn’t Define Your Worth

By Lesley Kelly, farmer and co-founder of the Do More Agriculture Foundation

Although our societal and cultural norms focus on to-do lists and being busy equates to being productive and provides happiness, this assumption can lead to devastating impacts on our mental health and self-worth.

We’ve learned over time that through hard work, our productivity is associated with who we are, a key factor of what drives our success on the farm and even acceptance. As part of running a successful operation, productivity needs to be a priority. But it shouldn’t be the only priority. In fact, if you google “agriculture” and “productivity,” what comes out of the search is economics, growth, technology, sustainability but nothing to the effects of the person driving the productivity – the farmer. Read More »

March 15 is Deadline to Enroll in USDA’s Commodity Safety Net Programs

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2022 crop year have until March 15, 2022, to sign a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in crop prices or revenues. Read More »

The 7 Types of Rest Every Farmer Needs

By Lesley Rae Kelly

Have you ever tried to fix an ongoing lack of energy by getting more sleep — only to do so and still feel exhausted?

If that’s you, here’s the secret: Sleep and rest are not the same thing, although many of us incorrectly confuse the two.

Read More »

Small Canola Production in Oregon’s Willamette Valley Yields Big

By Anna Scharf

The Willamette Valley in Oregon encompasses a 150-mile long stretch that runs the lengths of Interstate Highway 5 from Portland to Eugene and east to west from the Cascade Range to the Oregon Coast Range. With numerous waterways and highly fertile soil, this valley is the most agriculturally productive and diversified region of the state. It produces everything from fresh market produce and specialty vegetable seeds to grass and tree seedlings, wine grapes and hazelnuts. Oregon produces over 170 crops statewide and the vast majority of them can be found in the Willamette Valley. Read More »

Congress Facing High-Stakes Agenda in Coming Weeks

Continuing Resolution & Disaster Assistance

The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and with the annual appropriations bills uncompleted, Congress had to pass a  Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government functioning. The CR, signed by President Joe Biden at the nth hour on Sept. 30, will run through Dec. 3, which includes $10 billion for agriculture disaster assistance to cover losses in 2020 and 2021 due to drought, hurricanes, wildfires, etc. The disaster assitance is expected to be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture using a similar structure as the WHIP+ program for losses in 2018 and 2019. Read More »

Congress Moves Forward on Infrastructure Bill and Social Reconciliation Package

Tom Hance, Gordley AssociatesBy Tom Hance

At last, it happened: The Senate passed its $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill by a vote of 69-30. The U.S. Canola Association joined 37 other agricultural groups in a letter to Congressional leadership in support of this bill, which would invest $110 billion in U.S. roads and bridges, $65 billion for broadband, and $17.3 billion for ports and inland waterways. In addition, this bipartisan agreement includes a number of provisions designed to boost the resiliency of the agricultural supply chain, including investments in cybersecurity and programs to address truck driver shortages. Read More »

RMA Authorizes Emergency Procedures to Help Drought-Impacted Producers

By Tom Hance

On July 13, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the authorization of emergency procedures to help producers impacted by extreme drought conditions. The USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas. These new crop insurance flexibilities are part of USDA’s broader response to help producers impacted by drought in the west, northern Great Plains, Caribbean and other areas. Read More »

Organic Canola Production: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Farmers

By Brian Caldbeck

Consumer trends in recent years have resulted in retails sales of organic foods in the United States reaching $50 billion in 2020, according to the Organic Trade Association. Despite cooking oils derived from multiple crops, including canola, representing a tiny fraction of these sales, consumer interest in organic canola oil has encouraged the food industry to source organically produced canola from farmers.

Read More »