THUNDER BAY -- The director of research at the Thunder Bay Agricultural Research Station is speaking optimistically about prospects for higher volumes for area canola farmers.
Tarlok Singh Sahota says work at the Little Norway Road facility last year showed more potential for the crop, which is currently grown on about half a dozen local farms.
"We were able to obtain a maximum yield of 9.6 metric tonnes per hectare. This type of yield is unheard of. Exceptionally high," Sahota said in an interview Monday.
He explained that a key to the high yield was an abundance of nutrients applied in proper balance to the test crop.
Sahota said a farmer's investment in nutrients could bring in nine to 10 dollars for every dollar spent.
Farmer Allan Mol agreed that canola "is pretty well-suited to the region. It grows very well in this climate."
Mol said local growers are able to ship their crop to customers because of the convenience of having a port close by. "There's not a lot of cost in transportation since it goes directly on the boat from here."
He pointed out, however, that extremely high yields at the research station don't necessarily mean farmers can obtain the same results.
"That's something for farmers to shoot for. He's had some pretty good success...but the question is, we have to transfer that to the farmers and we're learning how to do that. He does it on smaller plots and it doesn't translate to acres just like that."
Nonetheless, Sahota said farmers who get considerably smaller yields than he has achieved can still earn adequate revenue as canola sells for about $500 per tonne.
"If the farmer can get even two metric tonnes that would be very good...They are close to that. If you talk to people in southern Ontario, they are very happy if they get one tonne per acre (about 2.5 tonnes per hectare)," he said.
In a presentation Monday about the research results, Sahota also reported on the station's contribution to the province-wide introduction of a new crop, galega.
It's a perennial forage legume that originated in Scandinavia, and which he said has proved to be better than the traditional forage crop, alfalfa, in yield as well as protein content.
Sahota said the advantages of galega make it a good supplemental crop that farmers can grow alongside alfalfa.
