Aerial Seeding a Last Resort

May 30, 2011

Aerial Seeding a Last Resort

Some growers in Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan are considering seeding by plane or helicopter. There are no studies on aerial seeding of canola. It has been done in very wet springs, but if growers have to seed by plane because the field is too wet for a broadcast floater, that means it's probably also too wet for weed control, fertilizing and harrowing - each important to a profitable broadcast canola crop.

Fields too wet for ground equipment have probably been wet for a month or more. That means most of the nitrogen reserves have been lost. Since fertilizer is too heavy to apply efficiently by plane, the canola seeded by plane will not get a nutrient top up until the ground is firm enough for ground equipment. Canola needs fertilizer early, and ideally at the time of seeding, to reach its full yield potential.

Canola emerging in wet soil will also be oxygen deprived. This is not a hospitable environment for seedlings. Seeds may germinate, but the roots will likely die.

Think about your agronomic plan before considering aerial seeding. Will you be able to get across the field in a timely fashion?

Source: Canola Council of Canada

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Border View Farms is a mid-sized family farm that sits on the Ohio-Michigan border. My name is Nathan. I make and edit all of the videos posted here. I farm with my dad, Mark and uncle, Phil. Our part-time employee, Brock, also helps with the filming. 1980 was our first year in Waldron where our main farm is now. Since then we have grown the operation from just a couple hundred acres to over 3,000. Watch my 500th video for a history of our farm I filmed with my dad.

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