In 2024 there were approximately 50,500 acres of canola insured by Agricorp. This includes winter canola seeded in the fall of 2023 and spring canola seeded in 2024, both of which had a modest increase in acreage compared to last year.
Spring Canola
Acres of spring canola in Temiskaming District, where the greatest acreage of canola is grown in Ontario, held steady at just over 15,000 acres in 2024. Across other parts of Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario canola acres increased by a total of around 3,000 acres. Strong yields and fewer issues with pests in 2023 influenced the 2024 acreage.
Snow cover melted early but most canola was seeded in mid to late May. In recent years, canola planted in late May or even early June has been successful. It has become common in Manitoba to seed canola later because seeding in warm conditions results in fewer issues with frost, and vigorous early season growth can mitigate flea beetle damage. This appears to be true for Ontario as well, and success with late planting is also made possible with reduced swede midge pressure in recent years and more warm, dry days in fall for crop maturation and harvesting in good conditions in Northern Ontario.
Dry periods in summer resulted in fewer issues with white mould but may have supressed yields. Canola was harvested in excellent conditions, with very little canola requiring drying. Strong yields were reported for Cochrane District. In other parts of Northern Ontario, the yield range was wide, and low yields were reported from fields that had cutworm or clubroot. Yield data from Agricorp is not yet available.
Cutworm feeding in Nipissing and Temiskaming Districts, and possibly other locations, resulted in significant stand and yield loss in some fields. There are multiple species of cutworm that may feed on canola, and they can be difficult to accurately identify in the field. Black, dingy and variegated cutworm were confirmed or suspected. Stand loss typically starts in patches that grow larger as feeding continues. Foliar insecticides can provide control but should be applied before cutworms grow too large (>2.5 cm) for effective control, and before feeding naturally subsides as cutworm get close to pupating. It is difficult to predict what the risk of cutworm injury will be, though some high-risk factors like weedy mats in early spring can increase risk. Producers that are routinely dealing with cutworms in canola might consider using seed treatments with activity on cutworms. Early scouting is encouraged.
Clubroot also caused yield loss in select fields in Temiskaming and Nipissing Districts, with some fields completely devastated by the disease. In parts of Temiskaming, clubroot appears to be travelling from field to field in water that moves across the landscape, along ditches and pooling in fields. It can also be moved on equipment – farm, tiling, construction, or recreational equipment. Testing has shown that clubroot spores in this area can defeat “first generation” clubroot resistant canola varieties. Producers should consider having their clubbed roots tested for this and may need to grow “second generation” resistant varieties. Clubroot will continue to spread across the province, and all canola producers should be scouting diligently for signs of clubroot including wilting, yellowing, premature ripening and galled roots. To manage the proliferation of spores, grow canola in a 3 or 4 crop rotation and try to control volunteer canola within 3 weeks of emergence, especially in fields known to have clubroot. Clubroot has also been found in canola in Bruce, Grey, Dufferin and Simcoe Counties and there is a history of clubroot in Brassica vegetables in Southern Ontario.
Winter Canola
Approximately 13,000 acres of winter canola were seeded in August and September of 2023, which is an increase from past years. Warm temperatures in October helped increase crop growth ahead of winter, which was great for fields that were planted late or were slow to emerge in wet conditions. Slug feeding in the early seedling stages continues to be a top cause of stand loss for winter canola seeded into cereal residue. The 2023/2024 winter was mild, and winter survival was good. Patches that turned purple from excess moisture in the fall did not show overwintering injury.
Canola began growing in March when temperatures were warm. Many producers decided not to apply fertilizer in March to mitigate losses with spring rains and when temperatures dropped again, slowing canola growth. Some producers split their spring fertilizer application, and a few went ahead and applied it all in March. Many who waited ended up applying fertilizer after canola had bolted, which is acceptable but not ideal. Canola that bolted before fertilizer application had limited vegetative growth and was showing signs of nutrient deficiencies (yellowing, and purple-tipped leaves). Typically, there is still value in applying nitrogen at first flower if that is the first opportunity to get on the field, especially if there is good base fertility and the crop does not look deficient. If it is looking deficient and some yield potential is lost, consider reducing the nitrogen rate by 25%.
For some producers it was the earliest harvest ever – late June in Essex and Chatham-Kent counties, and mid-July in Simcoe County. There was ample opportunity to grow double crop soybeans in Southern Ontario, and they were not far behind first seeding of soybeans in some areas. Winter wheat and canola ripening at the same time continues to pose a logistical challenge for producers in terms of deciding which to harvest first and deciding when and if a pre-harvest herbicide should be applied. Reported yields in bushels per acre (bu/ac) ranged from the low 60’s to mid 80’s. There were fewer extremely high yields reported compared to previous seasons. The yield goal for Ontario is 70 bu/ac and most reported yields met or exceeded the goal. Agricorp yield data is not yet available, and because winter and spring canola fall under the same program it is difficult to report on the winter canola yield in regions where both canola types can be grown.
Interest in winter canola continues to grow. Seed sales have increased every year since the variety Mercedes was registered in 2020. Approximately 20,000 acres worth of seed was sold in 2024, although actual seeded acres may be lower. Producers are pushing seeding earlier into August with local experience indicating that Mercedes is unlikely to bolt in the fall. Plants with large roots and crowns tend to have better winter survival than small seedlings. However, producers should keep in mind that as more leaves are added to a plant, the growing point at the center of the plant is pushed up away from the ground which may increase risk of winter injury. Canola is still growing during the warm November weather. Next spring will surely bring new things to learn about producing this crop in Ontario.