Fire Blight Risk Remains High, May 24-29

Fire blight infection risk continues to be high to extreme/exceptional from May 24-29 in many regions of the province according to the OMAFRA prediction maps for apples and pears. Later regions will be in bloom shortly. Early regions should watch for rattail bloom in any blocks that are in petal fall.

 

Growers should keep a protective program until the risk drops back down below high. The rain, windy days and increasing pollinator activity this week will have moved bacteria to open blossoms, particularly if fire blight has been an issue in the orchard or neighbourhood. Infection will occur with any wetting event if a protectant program is not in place under high to extreme risk conditions. Under extreme risk, even orchards that did not have fire blight last year are likely to see infection.

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.