In agriculture, Canola is a trademarked cultivar of the rapeseed plant from which rapeseed oil is obtained. It was initially bred in Canada by Keith Downey and Baldur Stefansson in the 1970s. “Canola” is a contraction of “Canadian oil”. Compared with sunflower, corn, peanut, and many other oils, Canola has a low ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat. This is widely considered to have health benefits.

The canola blossom is a major source of nectar for honeybees. Canola oil is a promising source for manufacturing biodiesel and a renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Annual Canadian exports total 3 to 4 million metric tons of the seed, 700,000 metric tons of canola oil and 1 million metric tons of canola meal. Thousands of acers of canola fields can be seen throughout Alberta and especially in Stony Plain.