Determining your overall crop potential is important when calculating your spring seeding rates. Seeding is just a few weeks away in many areas, and being prepared is key.

Canola Council Agronomist Nicole Philp says producers looking at seeding canola this year should strive for a healthy plant stand of seven to 10 plants per square foot.

"There are a lot of things that can happen between seeding and crop establishment — things like frost, flea beetles, and hail. So we want to make sure there's a healthy enough plant stand there, so that if something that should come in and happen, that there's enough plant stand left that you can still get optimum yields from the crop you put into the ground," Philp says.

She notes in the event of a spring frost it's important to wait about four to 10 days to determine the potential recovery of the plant stand before deciding whether or not to re-seed.