Manitoba Potato Update

Jul 30, 2021

Manitoba Agriculture says potato quality is highly variable depending on the region and rainfall amounts.

"In some areas, there's sufficient water for potatoes, that's mostly in the west and they are doing fairly well," said Industry Development Specialist Vikram Bisht. "In places, where we have good irrigation, the heat has affected the plants by producing heat runners and some tubar chaining, but we have seen this happen in other years."

The top 30 cm soil moisture, classified as “dry” or “very dry” has become widespread in Manitoba, including in potato growing areas. Crop water demand for the week in selected sites was significant and ranged from >29 to 42 mm (1.2 to 1.6 inches). Sparse rains did not help much.

Early planted crops are in different stages of tuber formation and bulking, a critical time for supplemental irrigation.

Late blight spores were not detected at any of the sites being monitored. The Late blight risk forecast suggests low to moderate high risk of the disease (2-6) DSVs for 7-days in all of Manitoba sites due scattered rainfall.

High aphid numbers (including Potato Aphid) were trapped in all seed production areas. European corn borer adults trap catches have declined substantially from previous week. More larvae are being reported.

Early blight is showing up in more fields, and susceptible varieties may need fungicide protection if scouting showing high incidence. Stem rot has started showing up in some fields

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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.