Crop Pest Update

Insects: Cutworms are being found in some fields. Photos or samples of redbacked, dingy, and glassy cutworm have been sent in over the past week. There has been some spraying for cutworms in peas in the Northwest, and clover in the Central region. Flea beetles are being noted in canola fields. Most fields will still be protected by seed treatments, and with good soil moisture and temperature may have a good chance for getting to the 3 to 4 leaf stage before the seed treatment wears out. There have been some foliar insecticide applications for flea beetles on canola seeded early into cool soils in the Southern Interlake and south of Carman.

 

Diseases: As was the case last week, there were no reports from our network of field agronomists about pathogenic diseases in field crops. In the plots for the disease section of this year’s Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School, the peas have emerged well and are already at the 4th leaf node stage. Oats and barley have emerged more recently.

 

Weeds: Now that the heat and moisture has weeds jumping, there are regrets about missing the pre-seed window. Off-label concoctions are dangerous, and can limit yield potential, please be cautious with creativity. Some problems just can’t be solved.

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.