The 1990 Farm Bill also enhances opportunities for growing canola. Under the new Farm Bill provisions, canola can be planted on triple base or nonpayment acres. As with most new crops, problems do exist. At present, there is no established grower base for canola. Only a limited number of varieties are available, and most are not perfectly adapted to the regions where they are being grown.
Problems also exist with storage and handling.
Most storage problems are related to air-flow problems and lack of experience. Handling problems are due to the lack of an established system for delivery to processing facilities. If these problems are overcome and consumer and industry interest increases, some optimistic projections predict up to 5 million acres of canola could be grown annually in the United States by the end of this decade. The most logical place for canola in a crop rotation is as a replacement for winter wheat. Canola can follow winter wheat as part of a crop rotation, or it can be planted after corn, grain sorghum or soybeans, if earlier maturing varieties of those crops are planted or if they are taken off as silage.