Great Lakes Canola Association www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/canola Great Plains Canola Association www.greatplainscanola.com Minnesota Canola Council
Postmaster:
official publication
the U.S. Canola Association and Northern Canola Growers Association
Looking Back and Ahead
Since obtaining Generally
Recognized As Safe status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1985, canola oil quickly gained popularity in America and by 1998, it surpassed corn oil as the second most widely consumed vegetable oil here. Canola acreage went from practically zero in the 1980s to over 1.4 million acres in 2010. In less than three decades, canola – a so-called “minor oilseed” in the U.S. – has made its mark in the food sector. The U.S. Canola Association (USCA) has been a conduit to this success. Read about the history of canola’s roots in the U.S. and how the USCA began on page 16.
The current state of canola oil in the U.S. is also covered in this issue (page 24) with results of a December 2010 U.S. consumer survey about cooking oils. The Nielsen study, prepared for the Canola
Council of Canada, reached out to 500 canola oil users and 500 non-canola oil (vegetable, olive, corn, sunflower or peanut oil) users within the past three months. While olive oil still leads the pack in terms of health perception, canola oil is associated with the most positive attributes overall as a healthy, versatile, affordable choice. It was one of the most switched-to cooking oils in the past 12 months, pulling from vegetable oil market share.
Dietary Guidelines
At last, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 were issued on Jan. 31, 2011 by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. They aim to help Americans control their weight and optimize their well-being.
“Not every calorie is the same,” stated U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a webcast. “We want to move away from our over-reliance in the past on sugar and sodium and saturated fat.”
To this end, the Dietary Guidelines call for saturated fat intake to be less than 10 percent of total daily calories, replacing those calories with unsaturated fat, and for using oils instead of solid fat where possible. For the first time, the guidelines note that “the types of fat consumed are more important in influencing the
risk of CVD [cardiovascular disease] than the total amount of fat in the diet” and “lowering saturated fat intake to 7 percent of total daily calories can further reduce the risk of CVD.” Read how canola oil fits in on page 15.
“Chronic diseases … account for seven out of every 10 deaths in America and most of those are preventable deaths,” noted Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. “And threequarters – seventy-five cents of every dollar of our nation’s health care costs – again are directly related to chronic diseases. So the costs also weigh heavily on business owners, on government budgets and also on our ability to grow and develop as a nation … this has a tremendous cost overall on America’s prosperity.”
Canola Biodiesel
Page 10 reports that biodiesel made from Canadian canola reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent compared with fossil diesel, according to another recent study commissioned by the Canola Council of Canada. This lifecycle analysis adds significantly more support for using canola oil as a biodiesel feedstock.
Adding to this data, the California Air Resources Board conducted a lifecycle analysis on canola biodiesel and found that its direct emissions are 66 percent lower than petroleum diesel (page 13). This means that canola biodiesel will be a viable compliance option for transportation fuel providers and importers to meet the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which requires a reduction of at least 10 percent in the carbon intensity of California transportation fuels by 2020.
Industrious Canola Oil
Canola oil is also useful in making some types of plastics, according to researchers at North Dakota State University (page 22). The same characteristics that make canola oil a highly valued edible oil and feedstock for biodiesel – namely, a high content of oleic acid and low content of saturated fat – offer advantages in biopolymers.
From food to fuel to plastics, canola oil proves its versatility and advantageous fat profile time and time again.
Angela Dansby, editor angela@uscanola.com
Budget Deficit, Farm Bill Baseline and America’s Debt Bomb
Agriculture Spending Over Next 10 Years Projected at $212 Billion
Dale Thorenson
“The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021” released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in late January received considerable attention due to the record $1.48 trillion federal budget deficit that is projected for fiscal year 2011. That many were shocked at this number is surprising given that congressional action in late December –including the extension of the Bush tax cuts for two years, unemployment benefits and a payroll tax holiday – added $390 billion (a 36 percent increase) as well as a shortfall of another $468 billion through 2021. All told, almost $7 trillion in red ink is projected over the next 10 years due to revenues of $39 trillion being outpaced by expenditures of $46 trillion. Of course, that $7 trillion shortfall will need to be added to the current $14 trillion national debt.
The CBO also released its outlook for agriculture spending for the next 10 years, which projected that farm bill (excluding food stamps) and crop insurance spending would contribute $212 billion of the $46 trillion worth of outlays or roughly 0.46 percent. Of course, with deficits of this size, every tenth of a percent of the budget should be scrutinized. At least that is the position that many farm groups are stating as Congress slowly comes to the realization that trillion-dollar deficits are simply not sustainable.
These preliminary January projections for farm spending are a
$ Billion - January 2011
good indication of what the more comprehensive farm baseline that CBO releases in March 2011 will look like. These March numbers will be the dollars available – minus any contribution towards deficit reduction – for drafting the next farm bill.
Crop insurance outlays continue to be the largest portion (37 percent) of the agriculture budget, with $75.4 billion in spending projected through 2021. Conservation payments come in second (30 percent) at $63.5 billion. The $49.3 billion in Direct Payments have become their own line item in the minds of many, coming in third (23 percent) all by themselves. Other crop support and dairy payments of $11.3 billion are fourth (5 percent), followed closely by $11.3 billion (4 percent) in export/other expenditures. Bringing in the rear (1 percent) is the Tobacco Trust Fund at $2.7 billion, an expenditure that actually zeroes out in fiscal year 2015.
For the crop support programs of Title I of the farm bill, high commodity prices have reduced projected Counter-Cyclical and Marketing Loan Payments by $3.6 billion (-66 percent) and $715 million (-42 percent) respectively, when compared to the January 2010 baseline from a year ago. Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) payments are projected to increase by $889 million (28 percent) and Direct Payments are virtually static with an increase of $310 million (0.6 percent). Total reductions (Figure 1) in program crop support come to $3.2 billion (-5.4 percent). The $49.3 billion in Direct Payments continue to make up the lion’s share (88 percent) of program crop support spending (Figure 2).
A total of $212 billion – $75+ billion for crop insurance and $136+ billion for the “farm portion” of the farm bill – constitutes
- $56.3 Billion
$ Million - January 2011
Figure 1. 2012-2021 Farm Bill and Crop Insurance
- $212 Billion
Figure 2. 2012-2021 Title I Program Payment
the mandatory spending available for agricultural support programs over the next 10 years. This funding will be in the budget battle that occurs this spring, the outcome of which will greatly determine what the 2012 Farm Bill will look like.
Defusing the Debt Bomb
As of Feb. 17, the House of Representatives was debating a Continuing Resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2011 which, as reported by the House Committee on Appropriations, would target a 9.2 percent cut worth about $61 billion to non-defense discretionary spending for the final seven months of this fiscal year. The CBO projects this year’s non-defense discretionary spending at $663 billion, about 18 percent of the $3.7 trillion total spending projection.
On average, the House CR would impose a 9.2 percent cut on non-defense discretionary spending, but reduce this year’s projected deficit of $1.48 trillion by only 4 percent. By comparison, the “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010” passed into law in December 2010 increased the deficit by 36 percent or $390 billion (and another $407 billion for FY 2012 and $120 billion for FY 2013). To completely offset this legislation in just 2011, another $329 billion in cuts would have to be found or nearly a 60 percent cut to the nondefense discretionary spending.
The proposed reductions of the House
CR fall disproportionately on domestic agriculture and would severely disrupt operations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A $5.21 billion, 22.4 percent cut is targeted towards the USDA, eviscerating key agriculture-related programs and imperiling agency operations within the department. For instance, budgets for critical research at the Agricultural Research Service and National Institute for Food and Agriculture would be reduced by 14.8 and 16.1 percent, respectively. Vital foreign food assistance provided under the Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole programs would be slashed by 40.7 and 52.3 percent, effectively terminating food aid for the remainder of this fiscal year. Funding to operate the Farm Service Agency and Agricultural Marketing Service would be cut by 15.2 and 33.1 percent. These and other reductions would paralyze USDA’s management rather than making it more efficient.
The proposed reductions in current-year spending represent a narrow and short-term response to the chronic budget deficit and national debt problems, when a comprehensive and long-term solution is desperately needed to address the mushrooming structural debt. The nation cannot continue to borrow 40 percent of expenditures, and with an imbalance that extreme, simple math dictates that any comprehensive plan will need to place all aspects of the federal budget on
FY 2011 - Federal Budget
the table, much to the chagrin of everyone. This would include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, defense, other domestic support programs and yes, cuts in programs that assist farmers, ranchers and others in rural America. This may include tax increases as well.
For most sane observers, it is becoming almost unthinkable to consider that Congress may not have the political will to develop a comprehensive long-term plan to responsibly address America’s growing debt bomb, especially when one considers the dire consequences of not acting. For instance, the CBO projects that this year’s $225 billion annual interest cost for servicing the national debt will grow to $792 billion by 2021, surpassing many other spending categories. Even a modest interest rate increase would balloon the interest costs even further, as the national debt steadily grows from the current level of $14 trillion.
Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Mike Crapo (R-ID) Mark Warner (D-VA) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) are working to put into legislative form the President’s Debt Commission plan to reduce the deficit by up to $4 trillion over the next 10 years. These senators are trying to convince their colleagues of the need to act now. But success is not guaranteed. As Senator Conrad recently told a farm group visiting Capitol Hill, “the simple truth is that all of us will hate any plan that effectively addresses this problem.”
The prospect of goring sacred cows, such as Medicare and Social Security reform for those on the left or tax increases for those on the right, is igniting tremendous passions. The second U.S. president, John Adams, stated: “Facts are stubborn things and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Add to this remark that math facts are exceedingly stubborn. When it comes to defusing the nation’s debt bomb, the raw numbers do not care one iota as to what anyone passionately wishes the facts to be.
Dale Thorenson is assistant director of the U.S. Canola Association in Washington, D.C.
GENUITY ® ROUNDUP READY ® SPRING CANOLA OFFERS FARMER BENEFITS FOR 2011
The numbers are crunched for the 2010 growing season for spring canola in the northern Plains, and if there’s any overriding lesson learned from this past year, it is simply that growing top-performing canola hybrids can be profitable in 2011.
Market prices for canola oil remain strong, and improved seed with excellent genetics and biotech traits makes profitable yields within reach of many farmers. “We’ve had good luck most years with canola in terms of profitability,” says Norman Buynak, who farms with his brother, Nathan, near Antler, North Dakota. The brothers also grow spring wheat, barley, flax, soybeans, sunflowers and field peas.
“Canola also has good rotational value in an oilseed operation like ours,” Buynak adds. “We plant it most years for those two reasons – agronomics and economics.”
“As a cropping alternative, canola is proving to be one of the most profitable crops a farmer in central North Dakota can grow, based on yield and economic data from 2010,” says Mark Torno, U.S. Canola and Sunflower Marketing Manager for CROPLAN GENETICS®. “Canola profitability and return on investment are often better than those for corn, soybeans, flax, spring wheat, barley or sunflowers.”
Rob Ihrig, Monsanto Specialty Crops Marketing Manager, notes that spring canola seed products that carry the Genuity® Roundup Ready® trait have performed especially well the last few years. Some of these elite products have earned the Performance Ready™ designation from Monsanto based on field trials conducted by North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota. These Performance Ready™ products across multiple seed brands feature top spring canola genetics and also provide the unsurpassed weed control offered by the Genuity® Roundup Ready® system.
CHALLENGE
Weed control is critical to a successful canola harvest. Early emerging weeds do more damage to yield potential than later ones.
SOLUTION
“These high-end products are in great demand for 2011 planting. As of mid-December, roughly 80 percent of canola seed was already booked by North Dakota farmers,” Torno adds. “In addition to the latest genetics with tremendous yield potential, the Roundup Ready® trait plays a role in keeping yields up by enabling effective weed control.”
CROPLAN GENETICS® has one product – HyCLASS 940 – that has been a Performance Ready™ mainstay for three years. Two other promising products – HyCLASS 988 and HyCLASS 947 – are leading contenders for the designation. “We’ve seen yields bumping or even exceeding 3,000 pounds per acre with these products in both trial plots and under some real-life field conditions,” Torno adds.
DEKALB® has three current Performance Ready™ products – DKL30-42, DKL52-41 and DKL72-55 – and added a new product, DKL70-07, for 2011, into the Performance Ready™ class, based on university trials and field plots in 2010. To get this designation, the average yield data of a Genuity® Roundup Ready® hybrid has to exceed the average yield of the InVigor 8440 and InVigor 5630 LibertyLink® products at 60 percent or more of the trial locations. The average yield of the Roundup Ready® products across all locations has to exceed the average yield of the LibertyLink® products by 5 percent or more.
Other Performance Ready™ products include Integra 7121 RR from Wilbur-Ellis and possibly other new additions when all 2010 growing season data is finalized.
Jay Bjerke, Canola Product Manager for Winfield Solutions in Moorhead, Minnesota, says that Performance Ready™ designate HyCLASS 940 and a new product, HyCLASS 921, yielded very well in 2010. “Growers were very pleased with the yields of these hybrids,” Bjerke notes. “Demand for seed of these products is very high for 2011, and we expect to sell out of them.”
Canola Production in North Dakota Up 64 Percent in 2010
NCGA Seeks Canola Research Projects to Fund
Barry Coleman and Sheri Coleman, B.S.N., R.N.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Annual Production Report issued Jan. 10, 2011, showed that U.S. canola production in 2010 was 2.45 billion pounds, up 66 percent from 2009. This is the highest production since records began in 1991. Harvested area at 1,431,000 acres was up 76 percent from 2009, while the average yield at 1,713 pounds per acre was down from the previous year’s record.
North Dakota production in 2010 was estimated at 2.18 billion pounds, up 64 percent from 2009. Average yields in the state were 1,720 pounds, the second highest on record. Total production resulted in canola now being the fourth largest crop in North Dakota. Acreage expectations for 2011 remain strong given the excellent performance of canola crops yields and a positive price outlook. Production in Canada, which was greatly affected by wet conditions, was down considerably from the previous year. In the spring of 2010, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimated canola carryout in the 2010-11 marketing season would be 2.15 million metric tons. Its carry-out estimate for the upcoming year is projected to drop by half to only 1.1 million tons despite forecasts for increased production. Domestic crush is expected to increase 25 percent due to the expansion of crush plants.
NCGA Research Focus in 2011
The Northern Canola Growers Association (NCGA) has put out a request for proposals for canola research in 2011 to address the following production issues in canola:
• Production practices that optimize yield, quality and profit
• Disease management strategies with an emphasis on blackleg
• Insect management, identification and control
• Straight-harvesting canola, including the use of desiccants
• Rotation studies that determine the optimal broadleaf crops to precede canola
• Reduction of pod shattering, including the identification of shatter-resistant varieties
• Increasing oil yield per acre in canola
• Nitrogen/sulfur fertility management, including use efficiency studies
• Canola production on saline soils and addressing salinity issues
• Other research that has the potential to increase canola acres and production
Increased acreage and production of canola will allow for more resources to be dedicated to researching these key issues, which will help improve the profitability of regional canola growers and solidify the industry for the future. Blackleg research will be the primary emphasis for 2011 in gauging the proposals received to date. NCGA funding will also be utilized to match federal funds received through the National Canola Research Program.
Ron Beneda Honored with NCGA Excellence Award
The NCGA’s 2011 Canola Excellence Award was presented to Ron Beneda of Langdon, N.D., at its 14th Annual Canola Day on Feb. 9. This award was established to recognize individuals that have significantly contributed to the success of the canola industry in North Dakota and nationally.
Beneda is the authority on canola production in North Dakota, having served as a county agent for North Dakota State University (NDSU) for 33 years. He was instrumental in helping canola growers get established with the crop in the early 1980s in the northeast region. His knowledge and expertise in the canola industry has been invaluable to producers over the years.
Canola Combine Clinics
The NCGA will be trying something new at its canola research tours this summer in conjunction with NDSU. Canola combine clinics will be offered to assist growers in reducing losses during harvesting. The clinics will be conducted after research on canola projects is reviewed at the NDSU’s North Central and Langdon Research Extension Centers in late June and early July. Check www.northerncanola.com for more information this spring.
Continued on page 14 u
NCGA President Ryan Pederson congratulates Ron Beneda.
From Seed to Tailpipe: Canola Biodiesel’s Sustainable Advantage
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduced by 90 Percent Compared to Fossil Diesel
Crystal Klippenstein
Biodiesel made from Canadian canola reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 90 percent compared with fossil diesel, according to a new study commissioned by the Canola Council of Canada. “Lifecycle Analysis Canola Biodiesel,” which comprehensively looks at each stage of the product’s lifespan from seed to tailpipe, adds to canola’s esteemed image among biodiesel feedstocks.
Diesel blends using 2 percent canola biodiesel have proven effective in cold weather climates and improve engine lubricity. The recent lifecycle analysis (LCA) adds significantly more support for using canola oil as a biodiesel feedstock.
“Governments are moving toward only providing financial assistance or access
to products that have done LCAs and can demonstrate that they are better than the alternatives,” said Don O’Connor, the study’s author. “Having an assessment done shows stewardship.”
LCAs evaluate the environmental effects of each stage in a product’s lifespan. O’Connor’s report uses a highly credible LCA model, GHGenius, which was developed for Natural Resources Canada and can analyze the energy balance and emissions of many contaminants associated with the production and use of transportation fuels.
Sustainability in the Field
Canadian canola production methods account for reduced GHG emissions in the canola biodiesel LCA. The assessment
Lifecycle Stages for Canola Biodiesel
identifies five characteristics that contribute to the Canadian industry’s green marketing advantage:
• Efficient nitrogen fertilizer production and the use of ammonium-type fertilizers rather than nitrate ones. Ammonia-based fertilizers have lower GHG emissions.
The study reports that the Canadian nitrogen fertilizer industry is the most efficient in the world.
• Dryland production of canola, which results in low nitrous oxide emissions from the application of fertilizer and crop residues.
• Alkaline soils, which do not require soil pH adjustment with lime.
• Energy-efficient production systems, including less passes per field compared with European production methods, and a low diesel fuel requirement reduce the amount of energy consumed during Canadian canola production.
• High adoption of low or no tillage practices, resulting in increased carbon sequestration in the soil.
“The canola region ends up with low GHG emissions from fertilizer applications,” O’Connor said. “While canola requires a substantial amount of fertilizer, the emissions are lower than if the same were applied in Europe. That provides competitive advantages for Canadian canola.”
“We do a lot of direct seeding compared to many other countries, which reduces costs and lowers GHG emissions,” said Greg Porozni, a fourth generation canola farmer near Vegreville, Alberta. “Canola also has a low saturated fat content, which adds to its reputation as a competitive feedstock for biodiesel.”
Porozni said he hopes canola can become a more widely used feedstock for biodiesel due to its ecological advantages and because biodiesel production is an efficient way of using green and heated seed.
“Every year, we have green seed issues because of the weather and it’s costly to take green seed out and process it for other uses,” he said. “It’s the same thing with heated seed. We can put these seeds directly into biodiesel production because there’s always some available. The analysis shows that being sustainable and using green and heated seed is another way that we can add to our efficiency and improve our bottom line as farmers.”
Canadian Canola Reduces Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 90% Over Fossil Fuel
The Environmental Advantage
O’Connor’s study demonstrates that Canadian canola has very good GHG emissions and is significantly different from European rapeseed biodiesel. Not only does Canadian canola biodiesel provide a 90 percent reduction in GHG emissions during its lifespan compared with fossil diesel, it also has substantially lower emissions during combustion. GHG emissions for highway diesel are more than four times higher than those from canola biodiesel.
Currently, U.S. biodiesel plants can use U.S. canola to meet the extended Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) set out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, Canadian canola is not yet eligible under the foreign feedstocks criteria. The CCC and the Government of Canada petitioned the EPA in January 2011, requesting that Canadian feedstocks be accepted as meeting the same criteria as U.S. agriculture. The outcome is pending.
Canadian exports are 80 percent of global canola trade and about 15 percent of total annual Canadian canola production is exported to the U.S. to produce biodiesel. Although the issues related to acceptance under the RFS2 have not yet been resolved, Canadian canola still supplies two of the largest biodiesel plants in the U.S. – Imperium Renewables, Inc. in Hoquiam, Wash., and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Velva, N.D. The Imperium plant imports canola oil from crush facilities in Canada and the ADM plant accepts seed, which it crushes at its own facility.
Imperium Renewables President and CEO John Plaza said that the Grays Harbor refinery in Washington has a production capacity of 100 million gallons per year.
Right now, a majority of its biodiesel is shipped into British Columbia to meet its 4 percent biodiesel target for 2011. Plaza said the LCA results were especially significant to him because the Imperium plant has been processing solely canola since 2007 and is eager to use Canadian canola in biodiesel that can meet RFS2 standards.
“It’s very important for all parties involved in biodiesel – be it fuel producers, growers, government or consumers – to understand the significant benefit of using canola because it is a tremendous feedstock for biofuels,” Plaza said. “It’s our preferred feedstock for reasons such as location, economics and because it will help us achieve our goal of producing a fuel that has low-carbon intensity. O’Connor’s study validates that for the industry and the subsequent markets that canola biodiesel ends up in.”
Sustainability on the Road
In the U.S., biodiesel production has increased because of state mandates and the RFS2. In Canada, the federal government announced on Feb. 10 a national 2 percent biodiesel mandate, which will come into force on July 1, 2011. This could create a sustainable domestic market for about 1 million tonnes of canola seed each year. In addition, two Canadian provinces have implemented biofuel mandates, with a third set to begin this year.
As the world turns to biofuels as a means of reducing GHG emissions, demand for feedstocks will grow and the canola industry is eager to carve a place in the biodiesel industry.
Crystal Klippenstein is communications coordinator for the Canola Council of Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Fossil Diesel Canola Biodiesel
WITH DEKALB
WINTER CANOLA.
Canola Lifecycle Analysis Underscores Crop’s Value as Biodiesel Feedstock
California Authority Finds Canola Biodiesel Releases 66 Percent Less Carbon Emissions Than Petroleum Diesel
Tom Hance
In January 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an Executive Order requiring implementation of a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) that calls for a reduction of at least 10 percent in the carbon intensity of California’s transportation fuels by 2020. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) initiated regulatory proceedings to establish and implement the LCFS. To this end, CARB has been conducting lifecycle analyses for various types of fuel, including canola biodiesel, to determine its carbon intensity.
According to California regulations, a 10-percent reduction in average carbon intensity of transportation fuel will be achieved by requiring fuel providers and importers (referred to as “regulated parties”) to incrementally lower the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in the state. The policy begins this year with
small reductions that slowly increase to 10 percent by 2020. A regulated party’s overall carbon intensity for its pool of transportation fuels would then need to meet each year’s specified carbon intensity level. Regulated parties can meet these annual carbon intensity levels with any combination of LCFS-compliant fuels they produce or supply and with LCFS credits generated in previous years or acquired from other regulated parties.
On Dec. 14, 2010, CARB released for public comment its analysis of canola biodiesel, “Detailed California-Modified GREET Pathway for Conversion of North American Canola to Biodiesel.” The report seeks to account for all the steps in the feedstock and fuel production processes – from canola farming to finished 100 percent biodiesel (B100). To calculate these emissions, CARB staff used the California Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions
and Energy Use in Transportation Model (CA-GREET) to conduct its lifecycle analysis, which is a modified version of the GREET model that was developed and is maintained by Argonne National Laboratory. The modifications to the CA-GREET include the use of Californiaspecific data for factors such transportation and distribution.
The CARB lifecycle analysis for canola determined that canola biodiesel results in direct emissions that are 66 percent lower than petroleum diesel. Taking into account emissions based on the indirect land use change (ILUC) theory, canola biodiesel is still 33 percent better than petroleum diesel.
“This is a good starting point for canola biodiesel,” said Shelby Neal, director of state governmental affairs for the National
for Low Carbon Fuel Standard
* Denotes a proposed pathway released for public comment on Dec. 14, 2010.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/092309lcfs_tallow_rd.pdf Continued on page 14 u
California Greenhouse Gas Assessments
NCGA Update
t Continued from page 8
Industry Events
The NCGA attended the 40th Annual KMOT Ag Expo Jan. 26-28 at the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot. With more than 360 exhibitors and 950 booths, this is the premier agriculture show for nearly 40,000 people. Once again, the NCGA handed out educational items for producers and consumers. Many farmers commented that they were either going to start or return to growing canola. Many previous canola growers said they would be increasing their acreage for the 2011 crop year.
The NCGA handed out scone mixes and Boy Scout popcorn made with canola oil, as well as copies of the cookbook Canola Gourmet. The association was also involved with the KMOT Living Ag Classroom for fourth graders to learn how food is produced from field to store. About 15,000 students participated, receiving the NCGA’s Cami Canola educational curriculum and temporary tattoos.
Barry Coleman is executive director and Sheri Coleman, B.S.N., R.N., is associate director of the Northern Canola Growers Association in Bismark, N.D.
Biodiesel
t Continued from page 13
Biodiesel Board. “While there are some issues that need to be addressed from a data standpoint, and certainly significant problems remain with CARB’s ILUC modeling, the bottom line is that this analysis paves the way for canola biodiesel to be a viable compliance option for regulated parties in California.”
Even with the inclusion of questionable and uncertain ILUC factors, the Environmental Protection Agency lifecycle analysis conducted for the extended national Renewable Fuel Standard determined that canola biodiesel achieved greenhouse gas emissions reductions of over 50 percent, qualifying it as an “advanced” biofuel. Biodiesel is currently the only advanced biofuel commercially produced in the U.S.
Canola biodiesel industry stakeholders, including the U.S. Canola Association, National Biodiesel Board and Canola Council of Canada (CCC), are providing input to CARB on its canola lifecycle analysis. The CCC commissioned a detailed review and report that identifies several flaws with the CARB analysis. These flaws, if corrected, would further improve the results for canola biodiesel. This information is being presented to CARB and follow-up meetings are planned. The lower the emissions from canola biodiesel, the more value it will have in the large California fuel market.
Tom Hance works for Gordley Associates in Washington D.C., specializing in bio-energy, climate change and transportation issues.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 Call for Replacing Saturated and Solid Fats with Unsaturated Fats
Canola Oil is Perfect Fit
Angela Dansby
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Coinciding with this fact, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is rapidly increasing among both adults and children. It’s clear people need all the advice they can get.To this end, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, issued on Jan. 31, 2011 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, aims to help consumers achieve or maintain normal weight and optimal well-being. This includes calling for saturated fat intake to be less than 10 percent of total daily calories, replacing those calories with unsaturated fats, and for using oils instead of solid fats where possible.
Canola oil fits perfectly into these recommendations with the least saturated fat of all cooking oils; it is specifically cited in the guidelines as a good source of monounsaturated fat. Swapping canola oil for saturated and solid fats benefits public health since excess consumption of the latter “bad” fats is associated with increased risk of CVD.
“The key to lowering risk of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes is to replace saturated fat with health-promoting mono- and polyunsaturated fats,” said Jim Painter, Ph.D., R.D., chair, Department of Consumer and Family Sciences, Eastern Illinois University. “Such replacement decreases total and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, improves insulin responsiveness and reduces markers of inflammation.”
In keeping with the 2005 dietary guidelines, the 2010 recommendations support total fat consumption of 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, mainly from unsaturated sources. They also advise consumers to keep trans fat consumption as low as possible and dietary cholesterol to less than 300 mg per day as well as to limit intake of foods containing solid fats.
However, the 2010 guidelines note for the first time that “the types of fat consumed
are more important in influencing the risk of CVD than the total amount of fat in the diet” and “lowering saturated fat intake to 7 percent of total daily calories can further reduce the risk of CVD.”
Scientific Underpinnings
The June 2010 scientific report from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) called for reducing intake of saturated fat from 10 to 7 percent of total daily calories; 2) cholesterol-raising fats (saturated fat exclusive of stearic acid1 and trans fat) to less than 5 to 7 percent of energy; and 3) artificial (industrial) trans fat to zero. They also encouraged greater consumption of plantbased omega-3 fat, as found in canola oil.
If all solid fats were removed and replaced with liquid vegetable oils, saturated fat intake would decrease to 7 or 7.5 percent of total calories and cholesterol-raising fats would
“ ”
The key to lowering risk of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes is to replace saturated fat with health-promoting mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
decrease to 5 or 5.5 percent of calories, estimated the DGAC. In addition, “strong evidence that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from seafood and plant sources has a significant cardioprotective effect and decreases cardiovascular mortality,” the DGAC report noted.
While the replacement of solid fats with liquid oils was emphasized in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, the fat intake recommendations did not change otherwise from 2005 in spite of the DGAC’s report. The 2010 guidelines do not call for more assertive limits on saturated or trans fats, nor greater consumption of plant-based omega-3 fat.
The Bottom Line
In the United States, more than 81 million people (37 percent) have CVD, accounting for nearly 850,000 deaths a year. About 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese and more than 23 million have diabetes, predominately T2D. Simple dietary changes, such as using an everyday cooking oil that’s low in saturated fat like canola oil in place of solid fat and other oils, can help improve these statistics.
“Well-being is about taking ownership of your health and taking small steps each day to improve it,” Painter said. “Choosing a healthy cooking oil like canola is one example.”
Angela Dansby is editor of U.S. Canola Digest.
History of U.S. Canola: From GRAS to Great
Milestones Since 1985 and Opportunities Ahead
Clare Pierson
Since obtaining Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1985, canola oil and the industry that formed around it have taken off in the U.S. and never looked back. Canola acreage has gone from practically zero in the 1980s to over 1.4 million acres in 2010. Compared to crops like soybeans and wheat, this statistic may seem small, but nonetheless, it is remarkable considering canola was a brand new phenomenon only 26 short years ago. Awareness of the health benefits of canola oil is increasing all the time in the U.S. and beyond. In 2006, the FDA authorizing a qualified health claim on the oil’s potential to reduce the risk of heart disease when used in place of saturated fat. New research linking canola oil consumption to the reduced risk of breast cancer, canola biodiesel to huge reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and canola meal to increased milk production in dairy cows is incredibly promising. No wonder canola oil is the number two edible oil consumed in the U.S. and the California dairy industry is one of the world’s greatest users of canola meal.
Industry advocates around the country have a hopeful outlook for the future. Getting
1978
1974 Canola is first commercially planted in Canada
The term “canola” (Canadian oil, low acid) is trademarked by Western Canadian Oilseed Crusher’s Association 1985 Canola receives GRAS status from FDA
the crop to this point has been hard work, but more hard work lies ahead to increase U.S. canola acreage and better meet the growing demand for canola products.
In the Beginning
In the fall of 1988 – as legend has it – a small group of growers, farmers and seed company representatives gathered in Chicago to discuss the possibility of forming an association to represent canola interests in Washington, D.C. Canola oil had been given the green light in the form of GRAS status and the crop could then be grown and the oil consumed in the U.S. However, there were major impediments holding growers back from jumping on the canola bandwagon. Companies such as Cargill, ADM and Calgene wanted to start producing and selling the crop, seed and oil, but there were no acres seeded to canola nor public awareness or interest.
In April 1989, John Gordley, now the executive director of the U.S. Canola Association (USCA), remembers gathering various seed company representatives and growers at a Holiday Inn on Rhode Island Avenue in Washington, D.C. Pros and cons were discussed regarding setting up a trade association for canola.
1989 U.S. growers and seed and crushing company representatives meet to form U.S. Canola Association 1990 Farm Bill allows canola to be planted on set-aside acres
“The 1990 Farm Bill was coming up and it was recognized that canola faced disincentives in terms of federal policy and would need to be represented in trying to deal with those issues,” Gordley said. “We kind of passed the hat, and the growers didn’t have a lot of money to pay for setting things up, but one company spoke strongly in favor of going forward and when the dust cleared, we had enough money to get things rolling and we did.”
Jumping the Hurdles
Gordley said the association first and foremost had to remove obstacles to growing canola and then create incentives for it.
“As we started, canola did not have any kind of farm program, was not eligible for a marketing loan program, did not have a target price and did not have a fixed payment,” he said.
Joe Anderson, a founding father of the U.S. canola industry who served on the USCA’s board of directors for 15 years, said the association faced four major impediments that it overcame in the first 10 to 15 years of its existence: 1) no acreage and discouraging acreage policies, 2) lack of federal crop insurance, 3) lack of research funding and 4) no accessible, approved pesticides for canola.
1991 Canola producers become eligible for marketing assistance loans/loan deficiency payments 1993 Congress appropriates money to fund National Canola Research Program 1994 Northern Canola Growers Association forms 1995 Canola obtains federal crop insurance
Acreage Policies
According to Anderson, acreage policy changes were desperately needed so canola could compete with other crops and on a level playing field.
“A couple of us were in the bar one night and we came up with the idea of 0/92 provisions, where a farmer could receive 92 percent of the farm program benefits but didn’t have to plant all of the acres,” he said.
Indeed, the 1990 Farm Bill allowed producers to grow minor oilseeds on base acres and get 92 percent of any target price deficiency payment if prices for the base crop fell below the target price – a major turning point. Basically, farmers weren’t required to plant the crop in order to receive the benefits of farm programs, Anderson said.
Planting flexibility under a new “Freedom to Farm Act” made even larger strides in the 1996 Farm Bill. This legislation revised and simplified subsidy programs for the traditional program crops, allowing participants to plant 100 percent of their total contract acreage to any crop, including canola. Getting rid of the base acre restrictions once and for all cleared the way for the growth in canola acreage.
Federal Crop Insurance
Acquiring insurance for any crop is pivotal as it provides protection for the farmer and encourages the farmer to grow that particular crop, Gordley said. Therefore, the newly-formed USCA started petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) in 1989 to establish pilot programs for canola crop insurance. The RMA required three years of planting history, which the association could not provide. Yet, by getting planting history incrementally state by state, the association was able to secure federal crop insurance in 1995.
According to Barry Coleman, executive director of the Northern Canola Growers
1996 Minnesota Canola Council forms
Association (NCGA), the largest regional canola organization represented on the USCA board, the RMA initially set final planting dates for all crops in the spring. Canola industry advocates had to petition the RMA to issue appropriate and more advantageous planting dates so that canola could be planted later in the year.
“We were able to get the dates changed in 2001 and then we got them changed to our advantage again in 2004 or 2005,” Coleman said. “We want dates extended again in the Northeast and hope to achieve that in the next few years after planting date research is completed.”
Research Programs
Within a couple of years of the USCA forming, Anderson was able to secure funding for a new National Canola Research Program (NCRP), which was to be managed regionally since each region has unique agronomic and climatic conditions. Under this program, appropriations were collected when researchers in a particular region submitted a proposal to address agronomic issues pertaining to canola.
Anderson said he was able to secure $500,000 at the outset for the NCRP, an accomplishment that took much political savvy on Capitol Hill.
“Joe had the idea of a bottom-up rather than top-down program for determining what kind of research we needed for increased canola production,” Gordley said. “It’s been a very successful program and it’s still around at about $800,000 per year.”
This research allows different regions to concentrate on their own crop growing conditions and the program attempts to fund all regions equally.
“As a national association, it is our purpose to play fair – it’s our guiding principle,” Gordley said. “We’ve seen the focus of attention move from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest
to the Northern and Southern Plains, but we have the goal of prying the door open for canola growth nationwide.”
In 2002, the USCA helped set up the National Sclerotinia Initiative, a multicrop, multi-state research program that aims to minimize the devastating effects of Sclerotinia stem rot (white mold), which affects broadleaf plants such as canola, soybeans, sunflowers, dry edible beans and pulses. This program is administered by the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It received $960,000 from the federal government in the 2002 fiscal year and has gotten an increase in funding each year ever since.
Pesticide Registrations
Although canola farmers now have most of the crop protection tools they need, it was not always this way. Upon the birth of the U.S. canola industry, Canada had 14 registered pesticides and the U.S. had two, according to Anderson. In the 1990s, it was an uphill battle to obtain registered pesticides for American canola growers. This battle was spearheaded by Beth Nelson, chair of the USCA’s Pesticide Harmonization Committee and president of the Minnesota Canola Council (MCC), who describes pesticide harmonization as “the most notable thing the MCC has done for the industry.”
The committee’s work began in November 1998 and continued until 2001, during which Nelson took growers from various regions of the U.S. and Canada to visit CEOs of crop protection companies, such as Bayer Crop Science and Syngenta, to make their case heard and show them market potential.
“Our growers didn’t have access to the same tools that Canadian growers did,” she said, “but Canada needed our farmers to have these tolerances established as much as we needed them.”
1996 Farm Bill allows “freedom to farm” 1998 Canola oil becomes second most widely consumed oil in U.S.
1999 Great Lakes Canola Association forms
2002 Congress gives $960,000 to begin National Sclerotinia Initiative
2006 FDA issues qualified health claim for canola oil on its ability to help reduce heart disease risk 2007 USCA implements Promote Canola Acres program
2007 Great Plains Canola Association forms 2008 Canola oil becomes third most produced vegetable oil globally 2010 Greatest U.S. canola production on record
According to Nelson, the committee and the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) worked together to get a record number of crop protection tools registered in the U.S. in that three-year time period. Currently, there are more than 30 registered pesticides for canola growers in the U.S.
“These were the four original objectives and over time, we did them all,” Anderson said. “All of these things required political activity to make them happen.”
To the Present
U.S. canola acreage was just over 1.4 million acres in 2010 and is forecasted to reach 1.5 million in 2011. In 2008-09, the USDA reported that canola production was 10 to 15 percent of world oilseed production and canola oil was the third most produced vegetable oil globally. Consumer surveys show that awareness among Americans of canola oil’s value for health is growing steadily. Canola oil is also showing promise in the energy sphere, as a recent study from the CCC found that canola biodiesel releases 66 percent less carbon emissions than petroleum biodiesel (see story on page 10).
Currently, about 90 percent of U.S. canola is grown in North Dakota, with smaller amounts being grown in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and other states. In recent years, the only two U.S. canola crushing facilities have been in Velva, N.D., (ADM) and Oklahoma City, Okla. (PCOM). But ADM’s plant in Goodland, Kansas, is about to start crushing canola this spring, according to Jeff Scott, president of the Great Plains Canola Association – a testament to the growing interest in the crop.
Challenges remain to increase canola acreage by encouraging growers to rotate canola in with wheat rotations and staying competitive with major crops such as soybeans, wheat and barley.
Gordley said that very erratic production years between 2000 and 2010 accounted for the industry not being able to meet its longstanding goal of 2 million acres. He cited this – along with the fact that more money goes into promoting and researching more popular crops as well as particular climatic conditions necessary for optimal canola growth – as reasons why growth, although impressive, still has been slower than hoped.
Gordley hopes a program started by the USCA in 2007, which allowed for hiring field personnel to educate farmers in different regions about how to best grow canola, will be successful. His hope is that by
working at the local level, the industry can start competing with larger crops.
Anderson sees canola growth among wheat producers, who are beginning to put canola into their crop rotations to break up pest, disease and weed cycles. He sees definite growth in the near future, albeit slowly.
In recent years, Oklahoma secured a check-off for canola – five cents per dollar of crop value, Scott noted – to fund regional canola research. The check-off goes to the Oklahoma Oilseed Commission and the majority of the funds currently support Oklahoma State University research on aphid and blackleg control in canola as well as variety trials. North Dakota has had a long-standing state check-off for canola marketing and research.
“” All the work that has been done to promote canola by the USCA and CCC – along with trans fat regulations and the qualified health claim – has driven demand big-time for canola.
“Just yesterday we were in a non-traditional canola growing area in Minnesota, trying to entice growers into looking at canola in their cropping rotation,” she said.
Curtis Hennings, the first USCA president who resides in Washington state, said during the last three local canola meetings he attended, about 80 to 90 growers were in attendance.
“What impresses me is this is a wheat growing area and the price of wheat is way up, so I was impressed with the level of interest,” Hennings said. “It tells me the farming community is starting to look outside of the box – five to seven years ago, there never would’ve been this high of a turnout.”
Regional Perspectives
“Considering the fact that it was a brand new crop in 1985 and here we are 26 years later and we have a million and half acres, that is not bad,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be a ‘two steps forward, one step back’ kind of thing.”
Nelson said the MCC will continue to strive for more acreage in Minnesota, where canola acreage once reached 200,000 before plummeting to 13,000 in 2009. Last year, it rebounded back up to nearly 50,000 acres.
According to Coleman, who estimated that NCGA membership has expanded to 3,200 members, fighting the fungal diseases of Sclerotinia and blackleg, an evolving and stubborn nuisance, in canola crops remain ever-present challenges. He said the NCGA will continue to focus on research to prevent blackleg and find Sclerotinia-resistant varieties of canola.
“All the work that has been done to promote canola by the USCA and CCC – along with trans fat regulations and the qualified health claim – has driven demand big-time for canola,” Coleman said. “Facilities and plants are cropping up everywhere and capacity for crushing is increasing all over the country, which will really help meet the long-term demand for canola acres in this region.”
As long as canola stays competitive with other crops and ways to make growing canola easier are found, Coleman said North Dakota could easily see 2 million acres of canola within the next five to 10 years.
Oklahoma is second in total U.S. canola acres and number one in winter canola. Historically a wheat monoculture, the Great Plains region is welcoming a new crop to clean up wheat fields and boost wheat production. Scott estimates 250,000-300,000 canola acres there in 2012 and over 1 million in the next seven to 10 years. For this year’s harvest, 135,000 acres were planted from Kansas to Texas, he noted – less than expected due to the “big run up in wheat prices.”
In order to fulfill current domestic demand for canola products, the U.S. needs about 4 million acres of the crop. This is an ambitious goal for U.S. agriculture, though a mission possible. The next chapter in U.S. canola history is sure to be as exciting and pioneering as the first three decades.
Clare Pierson is associate editor of U.S. Canola Digest.
Canola Must Persevere in Both Field and Grocery Store Competitiveness Key to Canola Production
John Gordley
In light of the fierce battle for acreage between crops taking place this spring, the U.S. canola industry is hopeful that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s March 31, 2011 Prospective Plantings report will project canola acres at no less than the 1.45 million acres seeded in 2010, close to the high of 1.55 million acres planted in 2000. Failure to establish a positive trend in canola production is disappointing to the industry, particularly in light of the continuing growth in U.S. consumption of canola oil. To understand the reasons, some historical perspective is needed.
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of canola oil as Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) in 1985 opened the door to establish U.S. canola production and increased domestic consumption of the lowest saturated fat vegetable oil. Diet and health authorities joined the industry in promoting canola oil’s virtues, including its high level of omega-3 fat. The U.S. Canola Association (USCA), founded in 1989, set a goal of reaching 2 million acres by the year 2000.
From the beginning, however, the marketplace did not reward canola oil’s healthy profile. Food manufacturers were not willing to pay a premium for canola oil over other vegetable oils, so most oilseed processors did not offer higher prices for canola to farmers. As domestic demand rose for canola oil, much of the increase in consumption was filled by imports of canola seed and oil from Canada.
An effort was made in the early 1990s to establish a vertically integrated premium for canola from the producer to the consumer. InterMountain Canola, a joint venture between DuPont and DNAP Plant Technologies, contracted with growers in Idaho to plant proprietary canola varieties. The oil from the crop was identitypreserved as Clear Valley® oil, sold to Anheuser-Busch subsidiary Eagle Snacks, and used to fry upscale potato chips marketed in California. The experiment failed when the premiums added at each stage resulted in a price that consumers were unwilling to pay. Then and now, canola must compete – both in the supermarket and in farmers’ planting decisions – based on generic vegetable oil prices. Canola faces highly competitive conditions in today’s market. Prices for corn, soybeans and wheat have doubled (or more) in the last four years and continue to push each other higher as markets ration supplies and compete for acres. Until and unless the surge in world demand for protein and generic vegetable oil subsides, it will be a struggle for smaller crops, including canola, to maintain or increase acres.
Given these circumstances, canola must be competitive in every market for vegetable oils, including for biodiesel production. Last year, the USCA and industry partners succeeded in making U.S. canola eligible for the biomass-based diesel volume requirement under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2), which will increase to 1 billion gallons by 2012. Further work with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) is necessary to improve the Environmental
Protection Agency’s canola lifecycle analysis and ensure that all canola oil sourced by domestic processors is eligible for the RFS2. The USCA also is coordinating with the CCC to prevent the sustainable land use certification requirements of the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive from closing European markets for U.S. and Canadian biodiesel and feedstock exports.
With strong world demand for food, feed and renewable fuels, the next two years are likely to bring tighter supplies and higher prices for farm commodities than those seen in 2007 and 2008, which sparked a “food versus fuel” confrontation between food companies and biofuel producers. Since then, commitments have been made by the seed industry and technology providers to increase yields and production significantly over the next several decades. In the short term, however, canola faces stiff competition in order to maintain its acreage base and to make inroads in newer growing regions, including the southern plains. This will be the case unless the marketplace begins to reward producers of canola and its healthy oil with the premium prices they deserve.
John Gordley is executive director of the U.S. Canola Association in Washington, D.C.
Spring Canola Establishment
Planting Dates and Methods for U.S. Central High Plains
Making the best use of limited rainfall is a perennial challenge for U.S. growers in the central High Plains. Farmers in this region continue to rely on a winter wheatfallow cropping system (one crop in two years). Since adopting no-till and herbicides for weed control, many growers are planting corn or grain sorghum to intensify their crop systems (two crops in three years). Some are looking at spring oilseed crops to add diversity and possibly increase cropping intensity (three crops in three years). Interest in increased cropping intensity and crop diversity is driving research on spring oilseed establishment and cultural practices in this water-limited region.
Regional agronomists conducted field studies to evaluate the effects of planting date and methods on oilseed stand establishment, flowering and oilseed yield. Harvest methods (swathing or direct cut) were evaluated in Colby, Kan. These sites span growing conditions in the central High Plains (Table). Planting methods were no till drill, hoe drill following primary tillage or broadcast with shallow incorporation. Target planting depth was 1 inch. Oilseed types included canola (Brassica napus, cv. Hyola 401), Indian brown mustard (B. juncea , cv. Arid) and Camelina sativa (cv. Ames 26668).
Seeding with a hoe drill resulted in the best emergence rating for three site-years out of five (Figure), with no difference at a fourth site. Emergence with direct drilling was better than broadcasting in two of
Figure. Emergence ratings (1 is poor, 10 is excellent) for spring oilseed crops (canola, Indian brown mustard or Camelina sativa) established by direct drill, broadcast with surface incorporation or hoe drill following primary tillage.
four site-years and equivalent in the other two site-years. B. napus had best stand rating in four of five site-years; C. sativa had the lowest stand ratings at those sites, with B. juncea intermediate. Days from emergence to 50 percent bloom at Colby were the least for B. napus and greatest for C. sativa, with B. juncea in the middle. Oilseed yield was limited by available water for four of five site-years. For Colby, with good growing conditions in 2005, B. napus provided the greatest yield (2,141 lb/A) with no-till drilling; the best C. sativa yield (1,145 lb/A) resulted from broadcast seeding.
Planting date trials were conducted with the direct drill seeding method at Colby (2005 and 2006) and Akron (2005) at
4, 6, 8, 10 and 14 weeks prior to the expected latest freeze date. Emergence ratings tended to increase with later planting dates for all three species at the three site-years. However, the days to flowering decreased with later emergence. Oilseed yield, under good growing conditions, decreased with later flowering dates. Therefore, earlier planting (midMarch for B. napus and B. juncea ; late February to early March for C. sativa) should improve yield opportunity.
The swathing study, conducted in Colby in 2005 and 2007, began by cutting the crop into windrows 16 days prior to normal harvest (80 percent of the pods turned and less than 10 percent of them shattered). Swathing continued at three- or four-day intervals prior to direct harvesting. Windrows were picked up and threshed with a platform header on a plot combine either five or 10 days after swathing. These trials showed that harvest losses associated with direct cutting could be reduced 15 to 19 percent by swathing and curing for one week prior to the normal combining date.
Rob Aiken, Ph.D., is a research crop scientist at Kansas State University’s Northwest Research-Extension Center in Colby, Kan.
Rob Aiken
Table. Growing Conditions at Study Sites in U.S. Central High Plains
Direct Drill Broadcast Hoe Drill
Canola Oil-Based Suitable for
Dennis Wiesenborn, Ph.D., and Judith Espinoza, Ph.D.
The U.S. pays a high price for its excessive reliance on petroleum, especially with the resulting price spikes that harm the economy and degradation of the environment. Thus, researchers increasingly seek processes and products based on renewable resources such as canola oil. This will not be simple or inexpensive in the short run; it is a long-term investment. However, companies and consumers are increasingly attracted to “green” products. This is a high value-added segment of the market for agricultural products.
Polymeric materials – that is, plastics – are an especially promising market for canola oil. Global demand for all plastics from renewable resources exceeded 300,000 tons by 2008 and continues to grow rapidly. Annual demand in the U.S. for polymer composites, which are simply plastics reinforced with fiber, was projected at 2 million tons in 2007, valued at $6.5 billion and led by the automobile and construction industries.
The soybean industry has already pioneered a number of markets for soybean oil in polymers. Does canola oil have a place alongside soybean oil in this market? Unquestionably, yes. The first step is to match the unique characteristics of canola oil-based polymers to applications. The same characteristics of canola oil that make it a highly valued edible oil and feedstock for biodiesel production – namely, a high content of oleic acid and low content of saturated fat – will also offer competitive advantages in some branches of the biopolymers market.
In the Lab
North Dakota State University (NDSU) offers a remarkable “kitchen” for developing
canola oil-based resins for composite materials. Dr. Chad Ulven in the mechanical engineering department has established the facilities and expertise for producing and testing composite test specimens. Dr. Zhigang Chen in the Center for Nanoscale Science & Engineering offers expertise in coatings and polymeric materials. Dr. Cole Gustafson brings expertise in agribusiness and applied economics with an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing such “biorenewable” products. The agricultural and biosystems engineering staff also have knowledge of biological materials, such as canola seed and its products, as well as the process scale-up and quality analysis.
With funding from the North Central Canola Research Program and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, NDSU scientists studied how to make resin from canola oil from 2006 to 2009 and presented findings at the 2010 National Canola Research Conference in Long Beach, Calif. The main objectives were to produce and characterize one particular type of resin from canola oil, apply this resin in composites and estimate the costs of raw materials.
There are a number of routes for converting canola oil into a resin for plastics. NDSU researchers chose a route called epoxidation, which attaches an oxygen atom to each point of unsaturation, thereby resulting in an epoxy canola resin. A curing agent (hardener) is later mixed with the resin, bridging adjacent molecules through oxygen atoms, which creates a hard plastic.
NDSU scientists were not seeking to create an entirely new process, rather a dependable way to produce highquality canola resin for use in composite
Industrial Uses of Oil “Flexible” Due to Fatty Acid Profile
applications, since such resin is not commercially available. A number of alternative processes were considered, then the best one was optimized for reaction temperature and other factors. As a result, scientists arrived at a process that makes 1.6 pounds of resin at a time with a 98.5 percent conversion.1
To test the quality of this canola resin, researchers mixed it with synthetic epoxy resin and a hardener in blends containing 30 to 40 percent canola resin. The mixture was reinforced with E-glass, a type of fiberglass. The resulting composite
Resins Plastics
specimens were then evaluated using a variety of tests. In one set of tests, the force required to flex the samples to the breaking point was measured for multiple specimens at room temperature. In another set of tests, the mechanical properties were analyzed non-destructively over a wide range of temperatures. Compared to samples that contained
only synthetic resin, the canola-synthetic blends had lower strength but comparable toughness. However, resin prepared from high-oleic canola oil was significantly lower in strength and toughness. The reduced strength of the canola-synthetic blends appears to result from a weaker bond to fiber surfaces; therefore, improving this bond, such as through fiber
pre-treatment, may improve strength. 2 Current work also includes the evaluation of new hardening agents and methods.
Fun with Resins
A spin-off of the research on canola resins was a partnership with the Bison Pullers, an NDSU student organization that builds a quarter-scale tractor each year for entry into a national competition. Typically, 25 to 30 universities compete, including nearly all major land grant universities. In 2009, the NDSU team pioneered the use of bio-based composites, including rear wheel guards and engine and steering column shields containing 10 percent canola resin. This gave the NDSU team a significant weight advantage and the judges were impressed by their use of composites with a renewable resin.
Also, NDSU hosted Dr. Hao Wang from the University of Southern Queensland for several weeks in December 2009. He partnered with the university to exchange ideas on improving the epoxidation process. Another result from the canola resin research is a pending collaboration with the North Dakota Soybean Council and Tecton Products, a Fargo, N.D.-based company that manufactures high-performance building materials.
What’s next? Much remains to be explored to improve the performance of canola resin-based composites. Natural fibers are not as strong as glass fiber, but are much lighter in weight and will likely form a tighter bond with canola resin. This is an important step towards developing true biocomposites and applications exist for such materials. Demonstrating that canola resins are suitable for such products will help create a new market for oilseeds, foster new business opportunities in the region and lessen U.S. dependence on imported petroleum.
Dennis Wiesenborn, Ph.D., is a professor and Judith Espinoza, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral scientist in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
1 Results were published in the article, “Production and Characterization of Epoxidized Canola Oil,” by J.D. Espinoza Pérez, D.M. Haagenson, S.W. Pryor, C.A. Ulven and D.P. Wiesenborn in Transactions of the ASABE, 52 (4): 1289-1297, 2009.
2 Results were published in the article, “Epoxidized High-Oleic Vegetable Oils Applied to Composites,” by J.D. Espinoza Pérez, C.A. Ulven and D.P. Wiesenborn in Transactions of the ASABE, 53 (4): 1167-1174, 2010.
Dr. Judith Espinoza seeks a dependable way to produce high-quality canola resin for use in certain types of plastic.
State of the Union on Canola Oil
2010 Survey Shows Increased Awareness of Oil’s Benefits Among Americans
Clare Pierson and Angela Dansby
Anew “report card” on the state of canola oil in the U.S. has been issued, summarizing cooking oil user trends and how Americans view different types of cooking oils and make purchasing decisions. The results indicate where the industry is doing well and where it can improve. The 2010 Nielsen study, entitled “Understanding the Cooking Oil Category & Consumer Dynamics – U.S. Report” and prepared for the Canola Council of Canada, reached out to 500 canola oil users and 500 non-canola oil (vegetable, olive, corn, sunflower or peanut oil) users within the past three months. While olive oil still leads the pack in terms of health perception, canola oil is associated with the most positive attributes overall as a healthy, versatile, affordable choice. Olive and canola oils were the most switched-to cooking oils in the past 12 months, mainly converting vegetable oil users.
Cooking Oil Usage and Awareness
A great piece of news is that U.S. sales of cooking oils are increasing, reaching 1.2 million units in 2010 – up from less than 1.1 million in 2008. Consumers are gravitating further away from butter and lard and moving more towards cooking oils. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed use cooking oils a few times per week and 15 percent use them at least once a day. Canola oil users tend to use more cooking oil than other oil users.
Vegetable, canola and olive oils are still the three most frequently purchased and used cooking oils, which is consistent with statistics from 2008. Olive oil has the highest favorability rating among all cooking oil users – 55 percent say it’s their favorite, followed by 20 percent who favor canola oil and 18 percent who prefer vegetable oil. Canola oil came out on top as the respondents’ second favorite cooking oil. It far surpasses olive oil in volume as the second most consumed oil in the U.S. after soybean oil, which is most often used in products labeled “vegetable oil.”
Respondents rated versatility, affordability, availability, high heat tolerance and long shelf-life as positive qualities they associate with canola oil. In addition, canola oil users link it with low saturated fat, zero trans fat and being natural. Health benefits and taste are associated most strongly with olive oil as well as the overall most important factors in selecting a cooking oil. Consumers said they prefer a healthy and great-tasting oil even if it may be more expensive or less convenient than other options.
The survey reported that cooking oils are commonly associated with one key benefit each – for canola oil, it is light taste and texture. For olive oil, it is health and for vegetable oil, affordability.
The most popular methods of cooking overall are pan-frying and sautéing. For canola oil, baking and deep-frying, followed by pan-frying are the most common uses. There is an opportunity to convert vegetable oil users to canola oil, especially for pan-frying and sautéing.
The Nielsen survey shows that more people are “quitting” vegetable oil than any other oil – 62 percent of “switchers” have left behind vegetable oil in the past 12 months – yet more of these switchers have opted for olive oil (59 percent) and a smaller fraction (32 percent) have gravitated to canola oil.
Lifestyle Elements of Oil Users
Self-perception of health does not differ by oil user, the report said. Most oil users think they are healthy for the most part, although they know they could be doing a little better. Most are concerned about high
Figure 1. Canola oil has second highest equity after olive oil, scoring well on versatility, taste and health and beating out all other oils.
Suits my health needs
Has a taste I like
Is something that I can cook with everyday
Is good for the whole family
Enhances or brings out the flavor of my food
Shows I care about my body and health
Is healthier than other oils and fats (e.g. butter, cooking sprays)
Can be enjoyed by the whole family
Is good for my heart
Is recommended by health professionals or associations
Has a light taste
Is good value for what I am buying
blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol. All oil users are diagnosed with diabetes and heart conditions at the same rates. Oil users across the board appear unaware of or uneducated about different types of fat, but canola oil users seem to be more aware of the importance of consuming more omega3 fat and less saturated and trans fat than other oil users. Interestingly, olive oil users are more focused on diet as a means to being healthier while canola oil users are more focused on exercise.
Canola oil users do show slightly more concern and interest regarding their overall health, such as being mindful of trans fat and eating healthy in moderation without sacrificing taste or enjoyment. They are also more likely to make healthier lifestyle choices, such as taking an interest in exercise and actively trying to eat the right types of fat.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized qualified health claims for both olive and canola oils in relation to reduced risk of heart disease, the health benefits of olive oil are recognized more than those of canola oil. There seems to be a greater emotive health connection to olive oil, presenting an opportunity to better position canola oil as part of a healthy lifestyle to inspire positive feelings.
Interactions with Canola Oil
Canola oil has fewer “touch points” –where consumers are able to see it in a store, advertisement, promotion or receive a sample, overhear or speak about it in conversation with a friend or family member – than olive oil. For example, 42 percent of those surveyed have seen advertisements for olive oil compared to 32 percent for canola oil, while 38 percent have not seen advertisements for any cooking oil. More touch points generally equate to more positive interactions and associations with a product. Not surprisingly, the levels of advertising in the cooking oil category approximate market share, with olive, canola and vegetables oils capturing the most.
Canola oil users are more likely to trust information that comes from health professionals, lifestyle personalities and newspapers than other oil users.
Marketing Recommendations
While consumption of cooking oils is steadily growing, consumers’ emotional engagement remains static, presenting an opportunity to revitalize the category and get consumers excited about canola oil.
Canola oil needs to capture more of the consumers that are leaving behind vegetable oil – and indeed this is possible, as vegetable
Has a light texture
Is versatile for a variety of cooking applications
Is low in saturated fat
Is more natural
Has no trans fat
Is always available where I shop
Has a health claim on the label
Has a long shelf-life Is affordable
Is the type of oil my mom uses/used Does not smoke at high temperatures
Type of Oil Switched to from Vegetable Oil
Source for all charts:
“Understanding the Cooking Oil Category & Consumer Dynamics – U.S. Report,” Nielsen, December 2010.
oil consumers show a high affinity for canola oil – to grow its own market share. Currently, canola oil is capturing only 30 percent of the consumers who are switching from vegetable oil.
In terms of consumer equity, canola oil trails only olive oil. Yet in terms of sales, canola oil’s moderately strong equity rating is under-leveraged and has potential to grow, according to Nielsen. In order to improve its standing, the canola industry needs to improve its oil’s consideration status such that more consumers are willing to purchase it.
Olive oil rates above canola oil as
having more equity in the taste and health categories. To compete, Nielsen said, canola oil should focus on addressing emotive health benefits, such as being part of a healthy lifestyle, while leveraging its neutral taste and versatility to be used or considered on more occasions. Canola oil is unsurpassed in terms of health, versatility and affordability combined. It has an excellent opportunity to convert both vegetable and olive oil users in its favor.
Clare Pierson is associate editor and Angela Dansby is editor of U.S. Canola Digest. Figure 2. Canola oil users associate low saturated fat, zero trans fat and being natural with canola oil, but versatility and affordability trump health in terms of perception compared to olive oil.
Figure 3. More cooking oil users are switching from vegetable oil than any other oil and switching to olive and canola oils.
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Canola U Students Give Program A+
Great Plains Seeds 150,000 Canola Acres in Fall 2010
The new year continues to see the southern plains in a drought. January 2011 was the sixth driest month on record for Oklahoma. With the exception of a couple of snow storms – some heavy east of the major local canolagrowing areas – the state remains dry in most regions.
Thank goodness for a crop that becomes dormant in the winter months. The southern plains canola crop was in excellent condition as it went into dormancy and with spring rains to recharge soil moisture, the region should see a bountiful harvest.
Canola in the Classroom
The first Canola U (for university) was held Jan. 18 in Midwest City, Okla., and sponsored by DeKalb and the High Plains Journal . This boot camp-style educational opportunity attracted 150 growers to the one-day event. Expert panelists presented four breakout sessions covering five topics:
• Equipment modifications – Wesley Porter, Oklahoma State Univerity (OSU)
• Winter canola agronomics – Mark Boyles, OSU and Heath Sanders, Producers Cooperative Oil Mill (PCOM)
• Rotational benefits to wheat – Jeff Scott and Bob Schrock, GPCA
• Wheat/canola similarities and differences – Dr. Tom Peeper, OSU
Due to the excellent response to the debut Canola U, a second one is planned for late April 2011 in the region to prepare growers for harvest.
There were approximately 135,000 acres of canola seeded in the fall of 2010 in the Great Plains. With current strong prices, this should lead to bountiful returns to the growers who were willing to take a chance on a relatively new crop. With such success, about 250,000 acres are projected for fall 2011 plantings.
Canola on Tour
There are 15 stops planned for a winter canola field tour spanning Oklahoma this spring. The locations include 10 winter canola demonstration strips funded by the Oklahoma Oilseed Commission and five OSU winter canola variety trials. About 1.5 hours will be spent at each location. Pest control, variety characteristics, harvest options and marketing of winter canola will be
discussed at these meetings. Speakers will include Mark Boyles, Dr. Brian Arnall and Josh Bushong of OSU, Heath Sanders of PCOM and a representative from ADM/Northern Sun. A complete description of the April 11-14 tours can be downloaded at www.canola.okstate.edu.
OSU will also host an annual winter canola field tour at the North Central Research Station near Lahoma on April 28, 2011. This tour will be more in-depth than the other 15 tours. Multiple aspects of winter canola production will be discussed, as well as visual learning from research at the station.
Jeff Scott is president of the Great Plains Canola Association in Pond Creek, Okla. Joshua Bushong is a winter canola extension specialist at Oklahoma State University.
Jeff Scott and Joshua Bushong
Every last seed. Every last drop.
When it’s time to market your canola, give us a call. We’re Bunge, Canada’s largest canola processor. We offer convenient on-farm pick up for all IP canola contracts. We’ve got flexible delivery options for you to choose from. Transactions are easy and we make sure you have plenty of marketing choices.
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Give a Bunge grain marketing specialist a call today.
MCC Recognizes Outstanding Service in Canola Industry
Provides Basics of Canola Production to Producers in Different Regions
Jon Dockter and Beth Nelson
Seed Meeting
The Minnesota Canola Council (MCC) participated in a seed meeting sponsored by Aitkin Feed & Farm Supply in January 2011 in Aitkin, Minn. The meeting included corn and soybean presentations, with the canola portion of the agenda featuring presentations by a grower panel and representative from Mycogen Seeds.
From time to time, the MCC participates in meetings in parts of Minnesota where canola is not widely planted in an effort to introduce producers to the crop. These meetings are intended to provide growers with agronomic, economic, varietal and rotational information to allow them to more easily incorporate canola into their rotations and reap the benefits of the crop.
Outstanding Service
The MCC’s Outstanding Service Award recognizes and rewards significant contributions to the canola industry. In 2010, this award went to the current Minnesota Canola Production Centre (CPC) Site Agronomist Rob Proulx. With a bachelor’s degree in plant industries management and a master’s in applied plant sciences from the University of Minnesota, he assumed the duties of site agronomist upon the departure of previous CPC Agronomist Derek Crompton, who took a position with Pioneer. Proulx worked hard on the 2010 CPC and logged many hours tending to plots, presenting canola information at meetings and working with the MCC to the benefit of canola growers across Minnesota. As the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award, Proulx was presented a scenic canola photo taken by Cody Anderson. He joins past award recipients Crompton (2009), David Severson (2006), Cenex West Plant-Roseau (2005), Jim Johnson (2004), Paul Porter (2003), Dave LeGare (2002), Dr. Art Lamey (2001), Dr. Erv Oelke (2000), Steve Dahl (1999) and Senator Leroy Stumpf (1998).
Annual Report
The MCC recently made its annual report available to those attending its annual conference. For those interested in receiving a copy, please contact the MCC office at 800-499-0696 or mncanola@comcast.net.
Jon Dockter is associate director and Beth Nelson is president of the Minnesota Canola Council in St. Paul, Minn.
QUICK BYTES
CAPITOL HILL
Canadian canola meal shipments to the U.S. rose 17 percent from August through October 2010, Reuters reported, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks to ease restrictions on imports of animal feed testing positive for Salmonella bacteria. The FDA posted a draft policy on its website last August that would limit its enforcement actions against such feed shipments to only those containing Salmonella strains known to cause disease in animals. In late 2010, Reuters reported that the FDA dropped ADM’s canola crushing plant in Windsor, Ontario, from its list of plants on import alert.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it will immediately begin issuing phytosanitary certificates for shipments of all vegetable oils bound for China. The agency has been issuing provisional phytosanitary certificates for soybean oil since June 2010 as it continues to negotiate a reversal of this requirement imposed by China in April 2009. This announcement means that canola and other vegetable oils that were being excluded from the Chinese market during these negotiations will now be eligible for shipment.
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency announced a proposed rule in the Federal Register that would reward farmers participating in the federal crop insurance program for good performance. Payment amounts would vary by producer and be based on each qualified producer’s history in the program. The agency estimated that the average refund amount per producer this year will be $1,000. The program is intended to be available before the spring planting season.
AGRONOMY
The University of Melbourne (Australia) announced on Feb. 15 that a team of French and Australian scientists sequenced the genome of the blackleg fungus, Leptosphaeria maculans, which damages canola crops
worldwide. The 12,500 identified genes will help researchers find ways to better control the disease and develop molecular markers that can predict whether outbreaks will occur. The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Monsanto announced it added dicambatolerant canola to Phase 1 of its research and development pipeline. According to the company, dicamba tolerance will provide an additional herbicide mode of action, enhancing weed control options for canola growers. The R&D efforts are part of a Monsanto and BASF Plant Science collaboration, initiated in 2007 to jointly develop traits to improve farm productivity and profitability in canola and other crops.
NUTRITION
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 , released Jan. 31, 2011 by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, offered new recommendations and adaptations. The New York Times noted that among the tips was to use canola oil in place of margarines or butter when cooking to lower saturated fat consumption.
PepsiCo North America will adopt Nexera’s omega-9 canola oil as its primary oil within its snack business, reported The Western Producer. Dow AgroSciences Canada said it will contract as many acres as possible from canola farmers to meet overwhelming demand from PepsiCo and other clients, including FritoLay, which uses a mammoth amount of canola oil.
owner Leon Jackson wants to boost the capacity to 400.
The Environmental Protection Agency is studying a proposal by the U.S. biodiesel industry to allow imports of Canadian canola biodiesel, which is already approved for domestic production, into the U.S. An agency representative said the timeline to approve the canola feedstock pathway would be at least another 60 days. Most biodiesel in the U.S. is currently made from soybean oil.
OIL FOR THE LATEST
ENVIRONMENT
An Applegate, Mich., restaurant owner started Thumb BioEnergy, a self-made biodiesel processing facility where he reclaims and processes leftover oils, including canola, from 50 local restaurants. The Times-Herald (Port Huron, Mich.) reported the facility is capable of turning out 100 gallons of biodiesel per day, but
INDUSTRY NEWS
Minnesota Public Radio reported that Northstar AgriIndustries broke ground on a new $160 million canola crushing and processing plant in Hallock, Minn., in January 2011. The plant is expected to be operational by July 2012, producing nearly 300 million pounds of food-grade canola oil each year along with tons of canola meal. About 40 to 50 permanent jobs will be created.
Approximately 150 winter wheat growers from Oklahoma and Kansas attended Canola U in Midwest City, Okla., on Jan. 18, said Southwest Farm Press. “Instructors” included agronomists, grain marketing experts and fellow farmers who have successfully grown canola. Dr. Tom Peeper, Oklahoma State University weed scientist emeritus, highlighted the advantages of canola in winter wheat rotations in the Southern Plains. For more information, go to www.canolau.com.
ABOUT PEOPLE
Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) announced he will retire and not seek re-election in 2012 after 24 years in office. He said he would like to focus on issues like dependence on foreign energy, fiscal responsibility and the 2012 Farm Bill in his last two years in office.
Jim Miller, who served under U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as Under Secretary for USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, resigned in January 2011. As of press time, a successor had not been named.
Breakfast First … With Canola Oil!
Breakfast, as the saying goes, is the most important meal of the day. It literally breaks the nightly fast we engage in as we sleep. Skipping breakfast extends the fast, potentially for as long as 18 hours if supper was at 6 p.m. and lunch comes at 12 noon. That semi-starvation hunger may contribute to poor food choices later – quick over healthy. Even more seriously, it can prompt the body to store fat instead of burning it by increasing an insulin response. The bottom line: Eat breakfast!
What kind of breakfast is best? Healthy choices, like all healthy meals, include whole grains, lean
protein, fruit and vegetables. That doesn’t mean it has to be a freshcooked, sit-down meal; if you and your family are always rushing out the door in the morning, it doesn’t make sense to serve stone-cut oatmeal and poached eggs. Low-fat milk over cereal can be healthy, provided the cereal is whole grain and low in sugar. If you are really short on time in the mornings, make muffins or scones on the weekend so you can grab one from the fridge or freezer on the way out the door each work day.
Whether your breakfast is leisurely or on the run, you’re likely to use some oil or fat. As always, you want it to be as healthy as possible and canola oil is one of the healthiest options. It provides both omega-3 and omega-6 fats and has only 7 percent saturated fat, the lowest level of any commonly available oil. Using canola oil can be as simple as spreading canola margarine on toast for a simple, light breakfast. Canola oil also works well in more elaborate meals, such as brunch.
A weekend favorite, brunch is eaten at a more leisurely pace and with a wider variety of choices from both breakfast and lunch favorites. Often eggs, cheese and bread are major components of the meal. This means that brunch tends to be higher in fat than a regular breakfast, but canola oil can help keep it healthier. Foods like pancakes, French toast and omelets can all be prepared in canola oil. Use canola oil or canola margarine when bread and muffin recipes call for salad oil or butter. And remember, if you’re going to be up for hours before you get to brunch, have a little breakfast first.
Sheri Coleman, B.S.N., R.N., is associate director of the Northern Canola Growers Association in Bismarck, N.D.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup bran
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup raisins
½ cup walnuts
In large bowl, combine flours, bran, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In small bowl, lightly beat egg. Add milk and oil. Add wet to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened. Fold in raisins and nuts. Bake in greased or lined muffin pan for 20 minutes at 400 °F.
Sources: Amery Medical Center, WebMD.com and Mayo Clinic.
Sheri Coleman, B.S.N., R.N.
This year, 10 Genuity® Roundup Ready® Spring Canola products were tested in 16 trial locations across Minnesota and North Dakota for Performance Ready™ designation.
Performance Ready™ products must exceed the average yield of top LibertyLink® InVigor® products at 60% or more of the trial locations.
Performance Ready™ products must produce an average yield of 5% or more across all trial locations when compared to top LibertyLink® InVigor® products.
Performance Ready™ testing enables higher yield potential by identifying top spring canola genetics which can be used with the unsurpassed weed control offered by the Roundup Ready® system.
At Pioneer, we’re picky about the genetics and traits that go into our seed bags. After all, you should expect more from the industry leader.
We’ve delivered the first canola hybrid with resistance to sclerotinia: Pioneer® brand 45S51 (RR). And we’ve broken new ground for high yields and standability with Pioneer brand 45H29 (RR) — the first canola hybrid with built-in resistance to clubroot.
But we are not stopping there. Pioneer soon will be introducing two additional clubroot-resistant hybrids and one new sclerotinia-resistant hybrid.
For shining performance in your canola fields, see your local Pioneer sales professional to help select the right hybrid for the right acre.
