Canola Tour Swings Through Central Idaho Next Month

University of Idaho Extension and the Pacific Northwest Canola Association will hold a tour June 11th focused on highlighting research, cultivars under development and best management practices.  Extension Educator Klae O’Brien and Karen Sowers, PNWCA executive director, organized the inaugural Prairie Area Winter Canola Tour in 2024, which drew 58 participants, representing 34,000 canola acres throughout the Northwest, and made stops at the U of I winter canola variety trial and an industry-sponsored winter canola variety trial.

"While many farmers are adding canola into their crop rotations, it is a relatively new crop that requires very specific management practices,” O’Brien said. “With common stakeholders and program outcomes, UI Extension and PNWCA saw an opportunity to work together and provide one immersive educational experience for canola farmers and other interested individuals.”

O’Brien and Sowers said they hope to build upon their initial success with the 2025 tour, which will visit canola fields in full bloom.  They encourage participants to register online or call the UI Extension, Lewis County office at (208) 937-2311 prior to the event. There is no fee to participate, as sponsors cover tour costs.  This year’s tour will meet at 7:30 a.m. June 11 at the Craigmont Legion Hall, 31 E. Lorahama St., for breakfast, covered by PNWCA and the Idaho Oilseed Commission. 

“This collaboration is huge. It’s a way to reach a lot more people,” Sowers added. 

June's Tour Will Make Several Stops Across The Camas Prairie

Commodity market updates and discussions about canola quality factors and insurance issues are scheduled following breakfast.  Participants will then leave on a bus tour that will make its first stop at Clearwater Farms in Craigmont, where U of I has a pair of canola trials underway, in partnership with the commercial farm.  U of I Brassica breeder Kamal Khadka will showcase his winter canola variety trials and present data from his 2024 trials.  Kurtis Schroeder, a UI Extension specialist of cropping systems agronomy, will discuss his canola fungicide trials.

The tour will make its second stop at 1890 Ag in Cottonwood, where participants will see a private canola trial involving varieties from Rubisco Seeds, based in Kentucky.  During the Cottonwood stop, officials from Terraplex Northwest will demonstrate the use of drones for spraying crops and taking aerial imagery.  David Crowder, an associate professor with Washington State University’s Department of Entomology, and one of his graduate students will present about pest control, and Infinity Agriculture representatives will demonstrate how to sweep a field for both beneficial bugs and insect pests.

Canola Acres Continue To Increase In Idaho

In 2024, Idaho ranked fifth nationally in canola production, with 93,652 acres, up 6% from the prior year. Most of the state’s production occurs in the Palouse region of Latah, Nez Perce and Lewis counties. Idaho canola acreage made an even greater jump in 2023, when it increased by 43% from the prior growing season. Southeast Idaho is a burgeoning production area, where canola is raised at the highest elevations in the U.S., both under irrigation and on dry land. The Northwest is the sole U.S. region that produces both winter and spring canola.

Most of the region’s canola crop is crushed for culinary oil at a facility in Warden, Washington, and the byproduct is hotly demanded as a high-value cattle feed additive.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com