2026 Fall Agronomy Tips & Resources
The Play-by-Play: Crop Conditions This Week
Harvest is approaching across Saskatchewan, with desiccation underway in some regions and canola being combine in southern regions. Recent humidity, cool nights and scattered rainfall have slowed crop dry-down, while disease and insect pressure, particularly bertha armyworm in areas where the crop has not started to mature, remain key concerns. Suspected cases of verticillium stripe (VS) have been identified across the province. If you suspect VS in your fields, be sure to submit a sample! Hot temperatures this past weekend were followed by rain in some areas early this week. While there are always benefits to rain, these rains may contribute to lodging (assisted by windy conditions) and delayed crop dry down. Hot temperatures return at the end of the week, hopefully providing what crops need to progress to the next step, but may be followed by more rain.
SaskOilseeds’ Playbook for Disease Management
Canola Field Scouting: Your First Line of Defense
Walk a “W” pattern: check 20 plants at five sites (100 total) per field.
Clip stems for blackleg: if more than half the cross-section is blackened, yield has taken a hit.
Dig for clubroot: pull a few roots near entrances, low spots, and high-traffic areas.
Watch for sclerotinia: bleached, brittle stems with black sclerotia bodies inside.
Resources:
- Sclerotinia Risk Management Tool
- Blackleg Yield Loss Calculator
- Blackleg Management Guide
- Clubroot Management Guide
- Verticillium Stripe VS Blackleg
- Canola Disease Scouting Guide
Be a Team Player: Help Identify Fungicide Resistance in Saskatchewan
SaskOilseeds and partners are funding research to evaluate sclerotinia sensitivity to fungicides with different modes of action.
- Submit 1-10 sclerotia from a single field
- Receive your fungicide test results
- Contribute to provincial research
Submit samples to help us provide fungicide stewardship and efficacy recommendations.
All submissions remain confidential.
Gear Up for Next Season: Disease Test Your Fields
SaskOilseeds offers a complimentary disease testing program to help producers monitor for costly diseases. As part of this initiative, SaskOilseeds partners with the Ministry of Agriculture to test for blackleg, clubroot & verticillium stripe across the province. In 2025, this program helped confirm the occurrence of verticillium stripe in 73 rural municipalities, contributing to the province’s annual disease distribution mapping. Getting your fields tested is a simple way to catch problems early and make more informed rotation and management decisions. Click here for details on how to submit your samples.
Get some in-field practice with SaskOilseeds this Fall
Attend one of our upcoming hands-on training workshops to help you identify and manage the diseases threatening your canola and flax crops. These events will give producers and agronomists practical tools to scout fields with confidence and make informed management decisions.
Register today!
Read the Signals: Staging for Swathing Canola
Wait for 60% seed colour change (SCC) before swathing for the best yield and quality.
SCC Check:
- divide the main stem into thirds
- top should still be green but firm to roll
- middle mostly brown with speckling
- bottom fully brown-black
Research shows canola swathed at 50-60% SCC yields at least 8% more than fields cut at 30-40% SCC. Since SCC advances about 10% every two to three days, waiting even a week can pay off. Bonus: later-swathed canola also tends to have higher oil content and fewer green seeds. Weather may force your hand some years, but aim for 60% SCC when you can. Read more here.
Avoid Unnecessary Penalties: Keep It Clean
Know the Snap Count: Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Staging
Applying pre-harvest glyphosate too early can leave unacceptable residues in your harvested grain, putting market access at risk. For canola, wait until 50-60% seed colour change (seeds on the main stem showing green, firm tops, mostly brown and speckled middles, and completely brown-black bottoms) in the least mature part of the field. At this stage, grain moisture will reliably be under 30%. Always apply based on the least mature area of the field (including regrowth), follow the product label for rate, timing and pre-harvest interval, and never harvest earlier than recommended. If tank-mixing glyphosate with another product like saflufenacil (Heat), follow the most restrictive label’s PHI.
Learn more: Keep it Clean Pre-Harvest Glyphosate Staging Guide
Timing the Final Whistle: Calculate Your Pre-Harvest Interval
The Keep It Clean Pre-Harvest Interval Calculator makes it easy to find your product’s PHI.
PHI is the minimum number of days that must pass between application and cutting your crop by swathing or straight cutting, giving the active ingredient enough time to break down and avoid unacceptable residues. Canola growers can use it two ways: enter your crop and product to calculate the required wait time or enter your crop and pesticide type and drag the slider to your desired cutting date to see which products fit that timeline. Always read and follow the label for rate, timing and PHI before applying any crop protection product to play a part in protecting market access for all.
Minimize Fumbles at Harvest
Playing Defense Against Harvest Losses
Every pass through the field is a chance to lose yield you already grew. Don’t let it slip out the back of the combine. Here’s how to keep losses in check:
Measure before you adjust. Electronic loss monitors won’t give accurate readings until they’re calibrated using the drop pan method, so grab a drop pan and get a real number before making changes.
Know your target. A one per cent loss is about the best you can realistically expect; aiming for zero often means running too slow to harvest in a timely way.
Check for leaks first. Before adjusting cylinder speed, concave spacing, fan speed, or sieves, inspect the pickup, feederhouse, elevator, shoe seals, separator covers, and grain tank for holes or cracks.
Feed it evenly. An even mat across the cylinder and walkers matters. PAMI research found losses jumped from 2.2 per cent with an even feed to over 12 per cent when material was concentrated on one side.
Small speed changes, big impact. Slowing down by even 0.2–0.3 mph can meaningfully cut losses, especially once the combine is nearing its capacity limit.
Adjust one thing at a time. Change a single setting, then re-measure, so you know exactly what helped.
Get ready for harvest with the Combine Optimization Tool and the Harvest Loss Calculator.
Score Free Results through the Harvest Sample Program
Once your crop is in the bin, put it to work for you and the whole Canadian grain sector. The Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program is a free, voluntary way to get unofficial quality results on your grain while contributing to research and marketing that benefits growers across the country. Your samples help market Canadian grain internationally, shape grain grading standards, and support scientific research aimed at improving grain quality and safety.