Canola (Rapeseed)
Brassica napus
Cool-season annual oilseed in the mustard family, grown for edible canola oil (low-erucic-acid, low-glucosinolate rapeseed) and high-protein meal. Spring (Argentine, B. napus) canola is the dominant type in cool temperate regions, adapted broadly across Zones 2-8 where the growing season offers cool conditions during flowering. Best on well-drained clay-loam to loam soils that do not crust, with a tolerated pH range of about 5.5-8.3 and best performance near neutral (6.0-7.0). The crop is sensitive to heat and drought stress during flowering, so early planting is used to move bloom ahead of mid-summer heat. Winter (biennial) types exist but require reliable overwintering and are grown only where winters are mild enough.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Canola (Brassica napus) is a cool-season annual oilseed that typically matures 85-110 days after planting depending on hybrid and environment. Spring types are seeded early once soils are workable; seeding rates of roughly 5-10 seeds per square foot target an established stand of about 5-8 plants per square foot (minimum ~4/ft2), placed 0.5-1 inch deep in narrow rows (6-7 inch) with a drill or air seeder for uniform shallow depth. The crop has a high nitrogen and sulfur demand; sulfate-sulfur is essential because canola is far more responsive to S than cereals. Flowering and pod fill are the most moisture- and heat-sensitive stages, so management aims to keep bloom out of peak summer heat. Major pests and diseases include flea beetles at seedling stage, sclerotinia stem rot, blackleg, and clubroot (a soil-borne disease managed by rotation, resistant varieties, and raising soil pH). Harvest is by swathing at 30-40% seed moisture followed by combining, or by straight-cutting at full maturity; seed must be stored dry (about 8-10% moisture) to prevent heating and spoilage. Canola fits well in rotations with cereals and pulses, breaking cereal disease cycles, and a minimum 3-4 year interval between canola crops limits clubroot and blackleg buildup.
Growing Season
- Plant
- Early to mid spring, as soon as soils are workable and have warmed to ~40-50°F – Late spring; yields decline sharply when seeding is delayed into early summer
- Harvest
- Mid summer (swathing/desiccation at 30-40% seed moisture) – Late summer to early fall (straight-cut at full maturity)
- Frost-free days
- 85+
Yield
- Typical yield
- 1,900 lbs/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Years to full prod.
- 1
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "declining".
Supply Below Demand
No buyer network on record — cannot establish that regional demand absorbs additional supply.
Multiple Buyer Channels
0 recorded buyers and 2 documented market channels. Thin — dependent on few outlets.
Value-Added Potential
2 documented market channels; limited value-added or direct-market options documented.
Market Growth Projected
Mature grain market; growth over a 5-year horizon expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 2-8; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop GDD minimum not recorded. Region accumulates 2500+ GDD (base 50F), sufficient for most temperate crops.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~16 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 85 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 7 hardiness zones (2-8). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
7 documented equipment requirements. Within range adaptable from general row-crop or orchard equipment.
Storage Available
2 documented storage/handling requirements, all achievable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~16 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
grain crops need large contiguous acreage to be economic; the region's parcels are typically small and fragmented by topography.
Labor Availability
Labor requirement not recorded. Catalog 75th percentile is 250 hr/ac.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
Equipment Requirements
planting
Canola seed is very small; seed shallow (about 0.5-1 in) into firm, moist, warm soil for rapid, uniform emergence. Air seeders with accurate metering and packing are standard.
Primary power for seeding and field operations across broadacre canola. Fixed cost shared across the farm.
spraying
Multiple passes for pre-seed burndown, in-crop herbicide, flowering fungicide for sclerotinia, and insecticide for flea beetles and weevils.
harvesting
Canola is commonly swathed at 60% seed colour change to even ripening and reduce shatter, then combined from the windrow. Optional where straight-cutting is used.
Combines swathed windrows with a pickup header or straight-cuts standing canola with a draper header; careful settings limit shatter and loss of the small seed.
post_harvest
Canola must be stored dry (about 8-10% moisture) and cooled; aeration and monitoring prevent heating and spoilage of the oil-rich seed.
Tough or damp canola is dried at low temperatures to preserve oil quality; needed when harvesting above safe storage moisture.
Storage Requirements
Conditioned dry storage (as-harvested)
Temperature
40–59°F
Max Storage
240 days
Optimum long-term storage
Temperature
45–55°F
Max Storage
365 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $369/ac vs catalog median $5,500/ac. Below median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Input cost $371/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $5,387/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 1 year. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance or an equivalent risk product is available.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Cannot compute — labor hours not recorded. Catalog median is $13.16/hr.
Grants/Subsidies
No specialty-crop or cover-crop incentive program identified for this grain crop.
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $20/$/cwt |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $369 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $262/acre |
| Establishment Cost | —/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $371/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | -$2 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
| Subsidies | ARC/PLC (USDA FSA) |
Source: USDA NASS Agricultural Prices (Dec 2025, released 01/2026) US price $19.50/cwt; Crop Values 2024 Summary marketing-year prices $29.80(2022)/$24.30(2023)/$20.00(2024) per cwt for trend; NDSU Extension Projected 2025 Crop Budgets (EC1654, North Central ND) for yield (1,900 lb/ac) and cost structure used as a Northern-tier proxy. (2026)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
9 documented risk factors. Within the range manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
0 buyers, 2 channels. Concentrated — a single buyer exit would strand the crop.
Low Establishment Risk
1 year to full production. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 2-8 (7 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a grain revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
Known Risks
market
Tight canola rotations increase blackleg, sclerotinia and clubroot pressure, effectively capping how often the crop can be grown on a field.
disease
A serious, widespread canola disease found in 35-55% of surveyed crops in some years. Seedling infection from infected seed or airborne and splashed spores causes stem cankers that lodge and kill plants.
A yearly concern in many canola regions; the fungus infects during flowering under moist conditions, rotting stems and causing lodging and yield loss. More damaging in higher-rainfall areas.
A phytoplasma spread by aster leafhoppers that deforms flowers into bladder-like structures; incidence varies with leafhopper migration.
pest
The number-one insect pest of canola. Beetles attack seedlings at the cotyledon to early-vegetative stage when plants are most vulnerable and can destroy stands.
Migratory moth whose larvae defoliate canola and feed on pods; populations vary year to year with in-blown adults.
Adults feed on buds and lay eggs in pods; larvae consume developing seeds, causing yield loss and entry points for pod shatter.
weather
Canola is sensitive to high temperatures during flowering, which cause flower blast and reduced pod set and yield.
Mature canola pods can shatter and drop seed before or during harvest, especially with wind, delayed harvest, or swathing at the wrong stage.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 884 kcal | 3,199,769 kcal |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total fat | 100 g | 361,965 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Sugar | 0 g | 0 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Pollinator support
- Month-long mass bloom of nectar and pollenhigh
Canola bloom is a large, sustained floral resource — high nectar volume with a good sugar profile for honey production, and pollen with a balanced amino acid, protein and fat content. Fields stay in flower for up to a month.
Applies when: during bloom; contingent on avoiding insecticide application while the crop is floweringEvidence: Industry consensus·Confidence: high
Biodiversity
- Wild bee, hoverfly and honey bee foraging habitatmoderate
Flowering canola draws a mixed pollinator community without any management to bring it in — Manitoba Agriculture reports honey bees present at times in quantity even with no hives nearby, plus several wild bee species and many nectar-feeding flies.
Applies when: during bloom, where flowering-period insecticide use is avoided or timed away from foragingEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Pest suppression
- Broadleaf break crop in cereal rotationsmoderate
As a broadleaf, canola is a non-host for the soilborne pathogens that build up under continuous wheat, and it opens a window for grass-weed control that a wheat crop cannot. The Great Plains handbook measures the combined rotational effect as an 8–15 percent yield gain in the wheat that follows.
Quantified:15 % winter wheat yield increase after canola vs. after wheat (range 8–15)Applies when: canola grown in rotation with winter wheatEvidence: Peer-reviewed·Confidence: high
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: USDA PLANTS (BRNA); NDSU Extension Canola Production & Field Guide (agronomy, seeding, maturity); Canola Council of Canada Canola Encyclopedia (soil pH, establishment); USDA AgMRC Canola Profile and USDA NASS (yield context). GDD and precipitation ranges left null pending sourced values. Region-neutral encyclopedia entry.
Economics data year: 2026 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
34 tracked changes across 9 data categories