Canada eyes huge Aussie canola crop

Mar 17, 2023

Australia’s “monstrous” canola harvest has Ken Ball adjusting his Canadian supply and demand numbers.

The Australian government’s new official estimate for its 2022-23 crop is a record 8.3 million tonnes, up from the December forecast of 7.3 million tonnes.

“Our (Canadian) exports are going to be well down from our earlier projections because of the monstrous Australian crop,” said the PI Financial analyst.

“We knew that number was going to go up, but I don’t think anybody thought it was going to go up by a million tonnes.”

Ball believes Australia could export 6.5 million tonnes of canola. The country’s more traditional export volumes are in the two to three million tonne range.

“That’s a huge chunk of business that they’re going to take from us,” he said.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.