But many producers are hesitant to rotate with canola because of varying yields.
A Canadian farmer won a production competition during the past production season with a canola yield of about 5,8t/ha in dryland conditions on 68ha. In SA, yields of more than 2,5t/ha are regarded as very high, but there is room for improvement, said Agenbag.
This is why two symposiums are planed with the theme ‘Growing a 5t canola crop’. They will include discussions of the management of crop rests, planting methods and fertilization.
Among the national and international speakers are Dr John Kirkegaard, head research scientist, CSIRO Agriculture, Australia; Rob Wilson, canola market development manager, DuPontPioneer, Australia; Rick Horbury, technical adviser, Bayer CropScience, Australia; and Prof Ferdi Meyer, director, Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy, South Africa.
The dates for the symposiums are: 19 July: Absa Hall, Megapark, Bredasdorp; and 20 July: Kronenburg Estate, Paarl.
