Plant health knows no borders: North America shines bright green for International Year of Plant Health

Apr 16, 2021

OTTAWA, ON - Plant health is essential to both human and animal health, as well as our environment and our economy. Canada is committed to preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests through strong partnerships with neighbouring countries and the active participation of Canadians.

Canada, the United States and Mexico are lighting up iconic monuments and landmarks in the colour green for the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The "Plant Health Knows No Borders" illumination initiative by the North American Plant Protection Organization is especially poignant in April, Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month.

Plants make up 80 percent of the food we eat and produce 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. Protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, defend the environment and boost economic development!

The following North American landmarks will shine green for the IYPH:

The Canadian and American sides of Niagara Falls
Canadian Museum of Nature
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Jamie L. Whitten headquarters building on the Washington National Mall
Government Buildings in Mexico City
Mexico Independence Monument
Monument to Cuauhtémoc, last Aztec Emperor
Mexican's Revolution Monument

Across North America, everyone is invited to join the movement on the evenings of April 19 and 20, 2021, through social media and the Niagara Falls webcam. Together, we can raise awareness of the importance of healthy plants by amplifying images and content on our social media.

With a growing world population and increasing global trade, plant health is more important than ever for a steady food supply, a healthy environment and a strong economy in Canada and around the world.

Source : Cision

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.