Colin Penner, who farms about 3,700 acres an hour’s drive north of the U.S. border, crunched up a handful of plump canola pods. Last summer, high heat and harsh sun scorched canola’s yellow flowers and ruined their pollen, knocking down yields across Western Canada. This summer, smoke from nearby wildfires shrouded the July skies and protected Penner’s young crop from the sun’s burning rays, resulting in more seeds per pod and more pods per plant. As Canada’s western provinces experience the second-worst wildfire season in decades, driven by hotter and drier conditions due to climate change, some canola farmers say they are seeing an unexpected benefit to the hazy summer skies – so long as they occur in July, when the crop is flowering. …The finding contrasts with scientists’ understanding that extended periods of heavy smoke have largely negative impacts on crop yields and food quality.