By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

Canola researchers will provide an update on the latest developments involving the crop at the upcoming Pacific Northwest Canola Research Program Review.

Presenters will include researchers from the University of Idaho, Washington State University, Oregon State University, USDA Agricultural Research Service and Montana State University.

The meeting will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 30 at the University Inn Best Western Conference Center in Moscow, Idaho.

Donn Thill, UI Agricultural Experiment Station director, said the meeting will include reports on research done using a $163,000 USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant.

It allows researchers the opportunity to find new opportunities for collaboration, Thill said.

Growers can learn about the latest findings about oil production and alternative uses for canola.

Land-grant universities and USDA researchers are working to help farmers, Thill said, by providing adaptive, high-yielding varieties. That includes adding traits like insect and disease resistance, he said.

Thill pointed to UI plant breeder Jack Brown's experiments using canola as a livestock feed. Brown plants winter canola early in the summer, harvesting green biomass off the irrigated field several times before letting it go through the winter and produce seed.

There needs to be an effort to develop varieties to meet market needs, including specialty oil, Thill said.

Thill hopes to work with growers and get information about research priorities moving forward.

The review will includes the results of a survey of Idaho oilseed producers.

The program is free and open to the public.

Participants are asked to contact Rhonda Tyacke by Jan. 25 at rtyacke@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6681 or .

For more information, contact Thill at dthill@uidaho.edu or 208-885-6214.