Oilseed
The harvested product is a small seed containing oil, protein, fibre, moisture, and other plant material.
The crop behind the oil
Canadian canola
starts in fields.
A seed becomes a crop through a season of biological change, local conditions, skilled work, observation, machinery, risk, and decisions. Follow that living system from field history to harvested grain and product markets.
Enter the farmer hubKnow the crop
Four ideas that unlock the canola story.
Before agronomy gets technical, these fundamentals explain what farmers grow and what the crop becomes.
Broadleaf crop
Canola belongs to the Brassica family and has a different growth habit from prairie cereals.
Indeterminate flowering
Flowering and pod development overlap, so one plant can carry flowers and pods at the same time.
Two major products
Processing separates oil for food and other uses while the remaining meal becomes a protein-rich feed ingredient.
Crop-season desk
Follow the work across the year.
The crop changes continuously. Choose a phase to see what is happening, what is being observed, and why it matters to the larger canola system.
Plan
- The work
- Field history, crop rotation, seed choice, equipment, input plans, records, labour, and risk meet before the first pass.
- What to observe
- Previous crops, stored moisture, residue, known field pressure, logistics, and the farm's operating constraints.
- Why this phase matters
- Planning connects the coming crop to years of field history. It is where agronomy, business, weather uncertainty, and available time first meet.
After the field
Harvested seed enters a national value chain.
Conditioned and sampled grain moves through commercial handling and transportation. At a crusher, prepared seed yields oil and meal. Those products then move into food, feed, industrial, domestic, and export markets.
Follow seed into products- 01Harvest and store
- 02Sample and grade
- 03Contract and deliver
- 04Prepare and crush
- 05Move oil and meal
Field systems
Choose the layer your question belongs to.
Each gateway opens a deeper part of the Canadian canola system, with definitions, process explanations, practical decisions, and connected reading.
Plant and seed
Species, anatomy, growth, reproduction, maturity, and the composition of harvested seed.
Explore Production regionsPrairie gradients, the Peace, eastern production, soil zones, weather, and crop movement.
Explore Field operationsThe practical crop season from planning and establishment through harvest and storage.
Explore Grain qualityRepresentative sampling, dockage, grades, quality factors, disputes, and delivery.
Explore Crushing and valueHow seed demand, oil, meal, logistics, throughput, and processing economics connect.
Explore Current dataDated production, seeded area, harvest quality, domestic crush, products, and outlooks.
ExploreDifferent readers, different decisions