Agriculture Canada Releases European Moth to Eat Invasive Vines

Oct 02, 2013

Agriculture Canada Releases European Moth to Eat Invasive Vines

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Agriculture Canada said it has approved the release of a European moth to eat invasive vines. The first group of moths have been released near Ottawa. About 500 insects have been discharged, which are supposed to eat ‘dog-strangling vine,’ an invasive weed from Europe.

The invasive species has taken over gardens and pasture land in North America. The vine is also toxic to livestock, which leaves the vine to spread further. The Hypena month is native to Ukraine and was tested in Switzerland and Rhode Island to see the impact it could have on our native plants and agricultural crops.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not yet approved the release of the Hypena moth, it will likely spread there since they have been released in Canada. Scientists say it is unlikely that anything will go wrong with releasing the moth.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.