Russia’s grain belt region at risk for wildfires

May 21, 2013

Hot and dry weather is expected to persist in Russia’s agricultural regions, which may prompt wildfires in the coming days. The Federal Hydrometeorological Centre said that the Southern District faces a very high possibility of wildfires, while Central and Volga Districts are under watch as temperatures are expected to rise.

Russia is the world’s third-largest grain exporter and the Southern District is the country’s grain belt, which accounted for 40% of the wheat crop in 2012. Experts have said that a lack of rain will likely cut spring grain yields, but if the weather persists for a long period of time it could also cut yields of winter grains. In 2010, wildfires in the region cut a third of the country’s feed crop harvest.

Russia’s wheat export prices have fallen in the past week – ahead of its new crop expected for next month. Grain farmers are hoping for a good harvest this year after many lost about a quarter of last year’s crop due to drought in late May and early June of 2012.

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.