WICHITA, KAN. (RFD NEWS) — While harvest is on the horizon for many producers, winter canola planting is just getting underway across the High Plains.
Jeff Frazier, market development manager with Scoular, joined us on Wednesday’s Market Day Report to share how growers are looking at canola as another opportunity as demand for renewable diesel feedstocks continues to grow.
In his interview with RFD News, Frazier said the general winter canola planting window runs from September through mid-October across Kansas and Oklahoma. He said that canola is already being planted in Northeast Colorado, with planting expected to pick up in the coming weeks.
Growers are also working with seed partners to select from a variety of available varieties.
Renewable Diesel Creates New Markets
Growing demand for renewable diesel is changing how producers view canola compared with five or 10 years ago.
“We’re just not seeing canola and hoping that we can find a home for it,” Frazier said.
He said investments in processing and growing demand for vegetable oils as renewable diesel feedstocks are creating another market for canola producers.
That additional market is giving High Plains farmers another reason to consider canola as part of their crop rotations.
Scoular Expands Canola Delivery Opportunities
Scoular’s Kansas crush facility is designed to handle both canola and soybeans, creating another destination for High Plains oilseed production.
Frazier said the facility changes the conversation for producers in the region, while additional delivery opportunities are being developed throughout the area.
Because transportation costs can make a market less valuable to producers if the delivery point is too far away, Scoular is also partnering with local cooperatives to reduce logistical challenges.
Last year, the company worked with more than 20 locations throughout the growing region to help growers improve delivery efficiency.
Canola Can Benefit Crop Rotations
Frazier said the economics of adding canola to a rotation can extend beyond simply comparing the price of one crop with another.
Producers also have to consider yield potential, weed control, disease management, and the value of having another crop and another market.
According to Frazier, canola rotations can potentially improve profitability by as much as 20% or more compared with continuous wheat rotations.
Improved Genetics Bring More Confidence
Advances in seed genetics have also changed Frazier’s outlook for winter canola.
He said improvements in winter hardiness, disease resistance and overall adaptability have made him more optimistic about the crop than he was five or 10 years ago.
Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University have documented increasingly winter-tolerant varieties, while breeding programs continue to give producers more options.
Frazier said those genetics are putting varieties in growers’ hands that are better suited to the environments where they are being planted.
LEARN MORE: www.scoular.com
