The opportunity to see large-scale winter canola variety trial plots up close and personal attracted 47 participants from as far away as Hartline and Lewiston for a field tour November 1 at Curtis and Erika Hennings’ farm near Ralston, Wash.
Growers, crop consultants, university faculty and grad students, and agency representatives took part in discussions about agronomic information regarding the six varieties, field history and crop rotation strategies, blackleg updates, grazing winter canola, local canola market information, and residue management.
Presenters included Curtis Hennings; Karen Sowers and Frank Young, WSU; Jim Davis, University of Idaho; Nate Clemens, Croplan; Tim Paulitz, USDA-ARS; Daniel Stenbakken, Viterra; and Victor Shaul, WSDA.
Another tour will be scheduled in late spring to compare winter survival and regrowth between the varieties. The variety trials at Ralston, St. John, Hartline, and Odessa are managed by the WSU-based Washington Oilseed Cropping Systems Project, with major funding support from Viterra/Pacific Coast Canola.
The WOCS project has scheduled oilseed workshops for January 26, 31, and February 2 at three locations in eastern Washington that will cover a broad spectrum of canola management details and strategies. Updates will be posted at www.css.wsu.edu/biofuels.
