Corn, Sunflower Planting Getting Underway

May 04, 2021

Corn planting is getting underway in Manitoba.

Morgan Cott is an Agronomy Extension Specialist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance.

"There was some corn starting this past week. At least in the Valley. I think quite a few guys got a number of acres in," she said. "Corn won't germinate until the soil is at least 10 degrees Celsius so we want to plant as soon as that time is possible. Don't like to go too much earlier and if you're planting after that, it will just germinate faster as long as there's moisture."

She notes fields are still dry, however, the top couple of inches still have a bit of moisture from the snow and recent rain. Cott says the biggest concern is planting into uneven soil moisture because that leads to uneven emergence which is a greater issue than delaying emergence.

Cott adds sunflower planting is also getting started.

"I think that some will be starting this week. I've heard from one producer recently who's going to get some in today (Monday). I think now that it is starting to warm up and we have more potential, I think that sunflowers are probably going to be a go."

She notes corn planting usually starts the first week of May, while sunflowers usually go in the first or second week of May.

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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.