Oat Harvest Producing Mixed Results

There's been a lot of variability with oat yields this year.

 

Jenneth Johanson is the president of the Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA).

 

"It all depended on where certain lands got rains during June and July during the filling period," she said. "It does appear that the heat that we had in July, did affect some of the yields. Some of test weights in oats are coming in a little bit lighter than what we've seen the last couple of years. Overall the quality is good and there is still some significant acres that still have good test weights and good yields. Overall, average to slightly above crop for Manitoba."

 

She notes there were some cases of crown rust which moved in later in the season. Grasshoppers pressure was also a challenge in some areas, along with armyworms.

 

Johanson says harvest is behind this year as oats are normally wrapped up by September. She expects farmers to clean up the remaining fields with the help of some good weather.

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.