Elm tree check

Sep 03, 2020

The Society to Prevent Dutch Elm Disease (STOPDED) reminds Albertans to check their trees for Dutch elm disease (DED) symptoms.

‘All species of elm trees in Alberta are susceptible to DED,’ explains Janet Feddes-Calpas, executive director of STOPDED.

‘The disease can kill an elm within weeks of infection and is spread by the elm bark beetles. If a tree is infected with this fungus the tree must be removed and disposed of immediately to prevent further spread of the disease.’

She says to look for:

flagging – leaves of one or more branches near the top of the tree may wilt, curl, turn yellow and then brown, remaining on the tree
staining – an infected twig sample will have red streaks through the sapwood

Feddes-Calpas adds that DED is spreading west of Moose Jaw and moving closer to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border.

Elms suspected to have DED symptoms must be tested at a lab for the presence of the fungus. All samples taken in Alberta are processed free of cost at the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Plant Heath Laboratory.

Source : alberta.ca

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.