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Bruce Dalgarno
- Newdale Area Gain and Oilseed Grower |
| Farm-Scape for July 28, 2000 (Episode 482)
A Newdale area canola grower says the agronomic advantages of planting genetically improved varieties of canola appear to outweigh resistance within some markets.
The production and use of genetically modified crops, in particular corn, soybean and canola, have caused a storm of controversy especially in Europe where consumer resistance is high and GMO crops are banned.
Bruce Dalgarno says these genetically modified varieties actually offer the producer additional opportunity to improve crop quality.
Clip-Bruce Dalgarno-Newdale Area Canola Grower
We've got biotechnology essentially allowing farmers to grow canola with a number of herbicide resistant traits to it and that's allowing us a better handle on looking at weed resistance and also growing canola in a particularly weedy field that you may not normally grow canola in.
It's allowing us to spread our rotations as well and be able to grow canola where perhaps we wouldn't normally be.
We're also utilizing less herbicides on the canola.
We can now spray it with one of the herbicides that they're resistant to and control a very wide range of weeds.
Some of the new traits coming down the line are allowing more different traits in the oil, perhaps something along the line of better consumer acceptance because of the nutritional aspects of it as well.
Dalgarno says, with the exception of China, the major importers of Canadian canola, including the United States, Japan, and Mexico, have approved these traits.
He admits producers don't like placing themselves out of the European market but he stresses Europe is a net exporter of rapeseed and would be unlikely to buy significant amounts of Canadian canola anyway.
He points out up until now Canada has had ample market opportunity elsewhere.
For farm-Scape...I'm Bruce Cochrane. |
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| Keywords: nutrition, market |
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© Wonderworks Canada
2000 |
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