b"Weve kind of taken turns coordinating, and (the provincial RVT program coordinator) fortunately, was able to do the field books and roll up the data for us. So its been an adjustment losing that support, and we're just kind of working out how that's going to be better moving forward, Dianne Westerlund, manager of CARA, says in a phone interview.The canola RVT program had been independent of the provincial RVT program before the provincial government changes. The canola performance trials (CPT) are run by the provincial and national canola growers associations in partnership with industry and provincial oilseed specialists. Previously, the CPT technical committee chair had been Murray Hartman, Albertas provincial oilseed specialist. Following his retirement though, he wasnt replaced by the province.That has shifted over to the other side of the Prairies. So now I chair that with help from my Saskatchewan counterpart. Right now we dont have any Alberta government representation but we do have Alberta farmers voices as directors of our governance committee, Dane Froese, CPT technical committee chair and Manitoba Agriculture oilseed specialist, explains in a phone interview.The 2021 growing season was an adjustment for all groups involved in the RVT program, but the kinks are getting worked out.Annual ProcessWhile there may be different groups handling the RVT programs, the annual process is similar for all starting in the winter with the planning stage.In the winter, around late February, requests are sent out to the seed companies asking which crop varieties they would like to enter into the RVT programs for the year. Seed collection from the companies is then co-ordinated by the RVT program coordinators. The seed is treated with appropriate seed treatments and inoculants in the case of pulse crops. Its then divided and weighed out to be sent to individual trial cooperators. Field books are sent along with the seed to the trial cooperators. The field books have plot randomizations and field data entry files in them. Plots are then planted in May.The field trial cooperators collect data on their plots throughout the growing season. The plots are also visited at least once throughout the season by someone with the RVT program coordinators to check on them.They do a tour of all the CPT locations, taking drone imagery and grading the plots to make sure that there's no major deficiencies and things appear as they normally would for research sites and reflective of good farm management. Those notes are then compiled and our technical committee meets in late July to review the site progress so far. And if anything 2021 canola performance trial site at Lethbridge, Alta. in the earlycomes up, we can head it off before it gets too far down the line flowering stage. PHOTO: AUTUMN BARNES FOR CPT and gets too expensive to have failure later in the year, Froese says.14seed.ab.ca"