Rolla, ND | F6L913 - 8/24/2006 14:12
We have no experience farming rape. Some people want to plant rape next season. Can somebody answer me some questions?
What kind of planter i need?
How much fertilizer?
How much water need?
Population?
what kind of head to harvest?
How much production?
prices?
Thanks a lot.
Grain drill works ideal seeding depth 3/4 to 1 inch. Plants emerge strongly to about that depth, they will emerge from greater depth, but can get into troubles with crusting, herbicides and such.
Fertilize similar to wheat in your area. Exception is that it uses a lot more sulfer. Low sulfer causes poor growth, small leaves, no branching, no yield.
Canola seed is very sensitive to fertilizer damage. You can put some phosphorus in row if you can't separate it. Optimum under those conditions is about 45 lbs of 11-55-0. Many put more, but you will get more noticable stand reduction. Many do run more even up to say 75 lbs, even with stand reduction, stand is usually okay.
Population. Actually doesn't need to be that much to get a decent yield, a couple of plants a square foot can do a lot, though would like more in the range of 5 to 6 on low end.
Usually use pickup head after swath, some is pushed and straight combined, if you have a good crop that kind of leans and is all bound together, straight combining is possible, if you have a poor crop to start with and try to straight combine you likely won't have any crop, but it all depends on the weather. Major quality problem is green seed, that is seed with chlorophyll above a certain point. Straight combining, you won't have green seed, but you might not have any seed. A good crop bushel wise with too much green seed will barely pay to harvest. So if too much green seed you leave it out in the field and hope it gets soaked up so that it can lose the chlorophyll.
Production is of course variable, good place to start with estimates is similar to wheat for bushels. Realize that's more a long term thing, in any year, canola can beat wheat or wheat beat canola due to their differences in what stages are critical.
Price, that's going to depend a lot on how far you have to transport it. Price at crushers for next fall, you can figure anywhere from 9 cents to 14 cents, less your transportation. If it has too much green seed figure 2 cents.
Like any crop that people know nothing about, it is very easy to write a budget that looks like growing rape is similar to printing money. There tends to be enough pests and diseases to keep that from happening.
Marv |
RAPE
