Ron Smith 1, Senior Content Director

May 6, 2016

7 Slides

Canola, a winter crop in Eastern New Mexico, West Texas and Oklahoma is increasing in economic value across the Southwest.

Research in New Mexico and West Texas has shown that including winter canola, a broadleaf crop, in the rotation offers many benefits including better grassy weed management in this area’s cropping systems.

“With declining irrigation resources and increasing climatic uncertainties, diversified cropping systems with better adapted, low water using crops offer many benefits,” said Sangu Angadi, a crop stress physiologist at the New Mexico State University Clovis Science Center.

In addition to the economic and agronomic value of canola in crop rotation systems, it is one of the most spectacular crops to view during spring bloom. Here are some examples from a recent trip to West Texas along with a New Mexico image.

Canola will be the focus of a special field day May 10 at New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. For more information, contact Sangu Angadi, 575-985-2292, [email protected]

Kansas farmers interested in Canola may participate in  a free field day May 24 and 25.  For more information, contact Mike Stamm at 785-532-3871 or [email protected].

About the Author(s)

Ron Smith 1

Senior Content Director, Farm Press/Farm Progress

Ron Smith has spent more than 40 years covering Sunbelt agriculture. Ron began his career in agricultural journalism as an Experiment Station and Extension editor at Clemson University, where he earned a Masters Degree in English in 1975. He served as associate editor for Southeast Farm Press from 1978 through 1989. In 1990, Smith helped launch Southern Turf Management Magazine and served as editor. He also helped launch two other regional Turf and Landscape publications and launched and edited Florida Grove and Vegetable Management for the Farm Press Group. Within two years of launch, the turf magazines were well-respected, award-winning publications. Ron has received numerous awards for writing and photography in both agriculture and landscape journalism. He is past president of The Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association and was chosen as the first media representative to the University of Georgia College of Agriculture Advisory Board. He was named Communicator of the Year for the Metropolitan Atlanta Agricultural Communicators Association. More recently, he was awarded the Norman Borlaug Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Plant Protection Association. Smith also worked in public relations, specializing in media relations for agricultural companies. Ron lives with his wife Pat in Johnson City, Tenn. They have two grown children, Stacey and Nick, and three grandsons, Aaron, Hunter and Walker.

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