Oklahoma canola field tours scheduled for April

Monday, April 7, 2014

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service is partnering with the Oklahoma Oilseed Commission to provide a series of canola field tours across the state in April.

“If properly managed, canola can yield as many bushels as wheat in this area and provide a number of agronomic benefits when used in a crop rotation with wheat,” said Josh Bushong, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension canola specialist.

OSU data suggest that wheat following canola in a crop rotation can increase wheat forage by 20 percent and wheat tillers by 32 percent, both of which would favor stocker cattle operations. OSU data also suggest that wheat following canola can increase wheat grain yields by 10 percent to 15 percent.

Field tour sessions will be led by OSU agricultural scientists and Extension specialists, as well as Ron Sholar, Oklahoma Oilseed Commission executive director, and Heath Sanders, Great Plains Canola Association canola field specialist.

“It’s a great opportunity to ask questions of and interact with leading experts in the areas of agronomic practices, plant fertility, harvest options and pest management,” Bushong said.

Field tours scheduled include:
● Kiowa County, 9 a.m., Monday, April 14;
● Greer County, 11 a.m., Monday, April 14;
● Jackson County, 3 p.m., Monday, April 14;
● Custer County, 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 15;
● Caddo County, 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 15;
● Canadian County, 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 15;
● Kingfisher County, 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 16;
● Blaine County, 1 p.m., Wednesday, April 16;
● Garfield County, 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 16;
● Grant County, 6 p.m., Wednesday, April 16;
● Dewey County, 9 a.m., Thursday, April 17;
● Major County, 11:30 a.m., Thursday, April 17;
● Alfalfa County, 2:30 p.m., Thursday, April 17;
● Noble County, 6 p.m., Thursday, April 17; and
● Ottawa County, 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 29.

Interested participants should contact their local OSU Cooperative Extension county office for specific tour details and meeting places. A directory of county office contact information is available at http://www.oces.okstate.edu via the Internet.

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service is a state agency and part of the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, along with the college of the same name and the statewide Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station system.