The winners of the 2020 Ontario Canola Growers Association’s Yield Challenge have been announced, with the Toll family of Blenheim taking top honours.
The Yield Challenge is put on annually by the Ontario Canola Growers Association (OCGA). Farmers who enter the Yield Challenge must:
- work with a supporting agronomist who can verify their yield;
- grow a minimum of 10 acres of canola;
- record the best acre’s yield from their field with a weigh wagon; and
- be willing to share their canola production practices related to high yields.
These production practices and tips are shared through recorded video interviews, shared on the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Field Crop News website. The interviews are led by Megan Moran, canola and edible bean specialist with OMAFRA, and Jennifer Doelman, director of the OCGA’s newly created District Three. They feature the producers with the four highest yields from 2020.
Winter canola took the top three spots in 2020. While this is less than the top six spots winter canola took in 2019, this is probably indicative of the differences in weather and soil conditions at planting for the two years.
| Entrant | Agronomist | Yield (lb./acre) | Variety | Location (ON) | |
| 1st | Ian, Nicholas and Benjamin Toll | Cory Cowan, AGRIS Co-operative | 5,743 | Mercedes (winter canola) | Blenheim |
| 2nd | Nathan Van Overloop | Mike Veenema, AGRIS Co-operative | 4,429 | Popular (winter canola) | Chatham |
| 3rd | Robert and Dallas Hunter | Doug West, County Farm Centre | 3,770 | Mercedes (winter canola) | Wellington |
| 4th | Dave Schill | Tanja Checkley, Harriston Agromart | 3,665 | InVigor L345 PC (spring canola) | Earlton |
| 5th | J.R. McLaughlin | Matt Rundle, Harriston Agromart | 3,382 | L255 PC (spring canola) | Harriston |
| 6th | Wayne Brubacher | Ben Schapelhoumen, TECC Agriculture | 3,108 | InVigor L345 PC (spring canola) | New Liskeard |
