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MSU farmer network aims to support canola management across Michigan

Michigan State University Extension is building a network of farmers to support the expansion of canola production in the state.

Regenerative cropping systems educator Christine Charles tells Brownfield, “Our farmer network is aimed at providing that agronomic information for canola growers.”

“It will provide some general cropping system considerations if you’re thinking about canola or if you are currently growing canola and want to improve your practice,” she explains.

Charles says farmers in the network will be able to learn from each other and MSU’s canola research insights as acreage increases.

“Getting to know the insects that like canola and getting to know the timings that they’re going to be in our fields has been a lesson that we’re running into time and time again,” she says. “We’ve gotten some better understandings of when those timings are and some recommendations for when to scout and what those thresholds should be.”

ADM’s Webberville location has steadily been increasing winter canola contracts with farmers since 2020 to support its processing facility in Windsor, Ontario.