By Angela Dansby
Seed oils have become a hot topic in health conversations, particularly on social media, with plenty of questions—and sometimes confusion—about their role in our diets. Are they good for us? Science says a resounding “YES.” Read More »
By Angela Dansby
On Jan. 14, 2025, the U.S. Canola Association (USCA) submitted comments in support of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s (DGAC’s) scientific report. It applauds the committee’s sound dietary fat recommendations and listing of canola oil as a good source of healthy monounsaturated fat but made a special request: list canola oil as a good source of unsaturated fats overall as well as vitamins E and K. Here’s why: Read More »
By Angela Dansby
Consumption of seed oils high in unsaturated fatty acids (building blocks of fat) is associated with numerous health benefits and may lower the risk of chronic diseases, according to a scientific review published Oct. 30 in the British Journal of Nutrition. Seed oils are vegetable oils derived from seeds rather than the fruit of plants (e.g., palm and olive oils) such as canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice, safflower, sesame and soybean. These oils contain predominantly mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including the PUFAs linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) to varying degrees. Read More »
By Angela Dansby
Oct. 21-22, 2024 mark the seventh and final meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), composed of 20 nationally recognized nutrition and public health experts appointed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since early 2023, the DGAC has been gathering public input and examining evidence pertaining to a list of prioritized scientific questions, many of which were identified by the HHS and USDA in 2020-22. Public comments were solicited on these questions before appointment of the DGAC and during its deliberations. Read More »
By Tom Hance
Very early on May 24th, the House Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill proposal put forth by Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA). The mark-up started at 11:00 am on May 23rd and did not conclude until after midnight. Most of the discussion and amendments considered were related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In the end, four Democrats joined all committee Republicans to pass the bill out of committee. The Democrats were Yadira Caraveo (CO), Don Davis (NC), Eric Sorenson (IL) and Sanford Bishop (GA). A couple of withdrawn amendments are of interest to #canola growers: Read More »
By Courtney Meduna
Technology is being adapted for agriculture at a super speed, empowering farmers to be more targeted and precise in their operations. In fact, according to AgTech Digest, the precision agriculture market, valued at $9.4 billion in 2022, is expected to grow 12.6 percent by 2030.
Precision agriculture is a blanket term for anything that employs technology to improve crop yields and on-farm decision making. Many aspects of it are used on a broad scale today, such as auto-steer in equipment and GPS guidance. We also have section control across all types of equipment, allowing for better utilization of seed and chemistry, as well as more accurate data collection at harvest. We even now have satellite imagery, variable rate technology and (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) adaptations (drones) to help improve efficiency. Read More »
By Angela Dansby
U.S. and Canadian researchers discussed their findings on diseases, integrated pest management, pollinators, climate-smart agriculture, agronomy, plant breeding and genetics related to spring and/or winter canola at the 2023 National Canola Research Conference (NCRC) Oct. 30-31 in St. Louis. Normally held every four years in conjunction with the American Society of Agronomy meetings, the last NCRC was in 2018 and delayed a year due to COVID-19. Here is a snapshot of reported findings by category.
By Girisha Ganjegunte, Ph.D.
A multi-disciplinary (agronomy, soil science, plant physiology, engineering, and economics), multi-institutional and multi-location study is underway to evaluate the potential to adapt and increase acreage of canola in southern New Mexico and far west Texas using alternative irrigation water sources. This goal directly aligns with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Supplemental and Alternative Crops competitive grants program, namely expanded adaptation and increased acreage of U.S. of canola. Texas A&M University received funding through this program to: 1) Identify salt-tolerant cultivars of canola; 2) evaluate performance (physiological response and yield) of salt-tolerant canola cultivar(s) irrigated with marginal quality water irrigation; 3) determine changes to soil properties, including salinity, to develop appropriate and best management practices; and (4) evaluate the economic feasibility of producing winter canola with marginal water. Read More »
By Mike Stamm
Improving high-yielding and regionally adapted winter canola varieties, advancing canola cropping systems, and delivering new technologies and production practices to growers are priorities of the project “Development and Management of Canola in the Great Plains Region” supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This project is led by researchers and extension specialists from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico. Read More »