News

Possible jump in canola acres next year

The Minnesota Canola Council anticipates another acreage increase next year.

Associate Director Jon Dockter says 28,000 canola acres were harvested statewide in 2016, up from 21,000 the year before.

He tells Brownfield a similar jump is possible in 2017.

“A lot of producers in the northwest part of the state still see canola as a very good (and) profitable rotational crop.”

Dockter says canola gained popularity in the early 2000’s when wheat scab became a major problem, with many growers incorporating the oilseed to effectively break that disease cycle.

He points out prices are competitive as farmers contemplate which crops to plant in 2017.

“While canola does follow those other oilseed crops, it still remains a very profitable option.  In fact, at the beginning of this year we had some crop budgets put together (and) canola was one of the crops that still penciled out very well comparatively to soybeans, wheat and some of the other commodities.”

Domestic canola production has grown to nearly three billion pounds annually since it was first planted in the U.S. in 1988.

North Dakota, Oklahoma, Montana, Kansas, Washington and Minnesota harvested the most acres this year.