Over the last couple years, there's been a build of interest around straight cutting canola.

Program Manager for Applied Ag Services with the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI), Nathan Gregg, says although straight cutting canola has been a preferred method in Europe for years, it's just picking up speed in Canada.

He says, this method for harvesting canola has the potential for higher yields.

"This is usually in the form of seed size increase which converts to a yield. It's good to know that's a possibility, but we still have to manage it to achieve that, and that means allowing it to stand and mature, and cure longer in the field to get that increased seed size."

Gregg says, allowing the crop to stand longer increases the risk of pod shatter which needs to be accounted for.

He adds, some farmers choose to use pre-harvest aid to induce maturity in the crop.

"As we market straight cutting on 'sell the swather' and eliminate the need for a swather, you do need to keep in mind you may have eliminated the swather, but now you've added a sprayer pass, or a chemical cost, and if you choose not to do that, well then now you've maybe added time to your harvest, so now your harvest window is extending later and later."

He says, although there's benefits to straight cutting, he doesn't think swathing canola will completely disappear.

 

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