Don’t jump the gun on canola desiccation (please!)

Big thanks to the Manitoba Cooperator story “Straight-cutting canola growers urged to be patient on desiccant spray” which reminds farmers that there are alternatives to the preharvest application of glyphosate to our food.  The article even reminds us that glyphosate is not technically a dessicant.

Angela Brackenreed (Canola Council of Canada and Agronomy Specialist) reminds farmers:

• not every straight cut necessarily requires a chemical pass.
• Swathing remains the best way to deal with an extremely uneven crop, she said.
• It is certainly doable to straight cut without applying a pre-harvest aid
• I do think that there is a perception that if you’re going to straight cut, you absolutely have to spray something and it certainly can facilitate that harvest operation, but it isn’t an absolute requirement.

Lionel Kaskiw (Agronomist and farm production adviser with Manitoba Agriculture) reminds farmers:

• keep canola standing as long as possible.
• wait for the less developed areas to catch up before turning on the sprayer.
• Spray timing will be largely the same as when the farmer would normally swath

Coincidentally, I was flipping through my copy of Canadian Living magazine today and the feature on some of the Canadian cold pressed canola oils looked mighty tasty.  Add flaky salt for dipping!  Who knew?  Unfortunately it looks like the online version of the article does not feature those oils (but does have a vinaigrette recipe).

The print version mentioned cold pressed virgin canola oils from CanFarm foods, unrefined canola oil from Maison Orphee, and organic cold pressed canola oil from Highwood Crossing Foods.  Presumably at least the organic from Highwood Crossing Foods will not be carrying a glyphosate residue into your mouth.

Ad below this line: