Researching canola's production cycle.

Farmers in the North have begun researching how they can boost grain production to meet upcoming demands.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Many of the local association members have said that we have to do some work on canola, because their yields have not been as good recently as they have been in the past, and the value of the crop is dropping, so there's not as much opportunity for profit," says Graham Gambles, professional agrologist with the Temiskaming Shores Soil and Crop Association.

"This mirrors what's been said in other areas as well, such as Nipissing and the Manitoulin."

Research is conducted by the Northeastern Ontario Soil and Crop Association in conjunction with Agrifood Laboratories, Ontario AgriFood Technologies and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. It seeks to determine how to assist the 50 northeastern Ontario canola farmers with their flagging canola production by introducing sulfur into the fertilizer in mid-summer, when the canola is at partial bloom.

Once fully grown, the quality of the yield is then examined and the soil and leaf tissue separated. This will allow researchers to analyze if the sulfur was able to permeate into the canola plant. It can then be determined whether the sulfur had an impact upon growth and yield. Results are to be released to the general public, given the broad spectrum of public and private supporters endorsing the program.

Although initiated in 2005, the project has seen a number of setbacks. Last summer's excessively dry weather prevented the collection of reliable results, while this year found two of the test sites plagued with an onset of flea beetles that devoured the germinating canola. While an early frost destroyed the canola crop at one site and technical problems related to the delivery of sulfur into the soil impeded progress at another site, one farm in Timiskaming was able to evidence the kind of results Gambles had been looking for.

"In September, we found that on this one guy's farm, on average, he was getting back about $30 more of canola per acre for an investment of $5 per acre in sulfur," he says. "So it works out he's getting back an extra $25 per acre, so that's pretty indicative that we're going in the right direction. Of course, it's strictly on one guy's site, so it's just an indicator, but it's a lot stronger indicator than we had last year."

With these results in hand, and more soil and leaf tissue analysis due within the next two to three weeks, the project can move forward with additional testing sites to be considered for Timiskaming and Cochrane in 2007.

Gambles says such projects are important as the market for canola continues to grow in Canada.

The Canadian federal government is showing a growing interest in "green" technologies, having invested in a variety of related projects, including a one-year biodiesel experiment in Verner. What's more, certain fast-food chains such as the Canadian arm of Kentucky Fried Chicken have announced an intention to use canola oil in their cooking processes, substantially increasing the demand for canola products, he says.

Northern farmers may be able to snap up a bigger piece of this ever-expanding market, and Gambles says he intends to help.

"There's a huge demand for canola, not only for Ontario, but for Canadian farmers in general. The more we can get off the fields, if we can just add a little bit of sulfur and increase the yields, it can be the difference between being profitable and not."

By NICK STEWART

Northern Ontario Business