Quality of western Canadian canola 2018

Oil content

For Canola, No.1 Canada, the 2018 mean oil content (44.1%) is significantly lower than the 2017 average (45.0%) (Table 1) and the 5-year average (2013-2017) of 44.5% (Table 1, Figure 5). The 2018 average is also lower than the 10-year average (44.4%).

This year again the Alberta-Peace River oil content mean (43.2%) for samples graded Canola No. 1, Canada is lower than the one observed in Manitoba (44.1%) and Saskatchewan (44.4%) (Table 3). The oil content of individual Canola, No.1 Canada samples harvested in 2018 by producers across western Canada ranged from 39.5% to 51.2% in Manitoba, 37.8% to 50.4% in Saskatchewan and 37.9% to 50.1% in Alberta-Peace River (Table 3).

Oil content for Canola, No. 2 Canada (44.7%) is higher than for Canola, No. 1 Canada (44.1%). Oil content for Canola, No. 2 Canada samples from western Canada ranged from 37.2% to 50.1% (Table 3). This year the oil content averages for Canola, No. 3 Canada and samples are 44.7% and 44.1%, respectively.

Oil content is influenced by both genetics and environment. For any known canola variety, hot and dry growing conditions will give canola seed with lower oil content when compared to cool growing conditions. The very dry and hot conditions observed during the 2018 growing seasons in the southern part of Alberta-Peace River were responsible for the noticeable lower oil contents observed in the samples from crop districts 1,2 and 3 compared to samples from crop districts 4,5,6 and 7, when samples graded Canola, No.1 Canada were assessed. Most if not all Alberta-Peace River samples graded Canola No.1 Canada were harvested prior the first snow fall (mid-September), suggesting hot and dry growing conditions for these samples. Samples from northern Alberta were grown in much cooler conditions and were immature when the snow and the first killer frost hit the province, resulting in canola samples with higher oil content unfortunately associated with very high green seed counts and high chlorophyll contents.

The oil content mean of commercially clean canola exports of Canola, No.1 Canada was 43.3% as of December 18. They averaged 43.2% for the August-November 2018 exports (Table 6). The oil content for last year’s shipping season for commercially clean cargoes of canola averaged 44.1%.

When compared to oil content of the harvest samples, the commercially clean and the non-commercially clean exports of Canola, No.1 Canada had lower oil content averages due to the dilution from the dockage. Harvest samples are completely cleaned (0.00% dockage) whereas the dockage averages for the Commercially Clean August-to-November 2018 exports and December 2018 exports were 1.76 and 1.66% respectively. Last shipping season, dockage for the non-commercially clean exports averaged 2.81% (Table 6).

It is expected that the mean oil content of Canadian exports for the 2018-19 shipping season will be lower than for last shipping season, in the 43.0% range.