Potato crop progressing in size

Aug 09, 2022

Manitoba's potato crop is still about a week to ten days behind schedule.

That according to Manitoba Agriculture Industry Development Specialist Vikram Bisht.

"At the moment, the potato crop looks very good everywhere. The tuberization, or the number of tubers per plant, appears to be very good actually. Many growers are very pleased with that. The sizing is also going very well. We have to cross our fingers that our harvesting is in good condition and we will have a very good crop," he said. "There's plenty of moisture in the ground and we have got frequent rain, which basically have nearly met the crop water demand for potatoes weekly. In some places, however, there is a need for irrigation."

Bisht says Colorado potato beetles are still an issue in the southern part of Manitoba. He notes that some growers and crop consultants are reporting that in other areas, they are finding Colorado potato beetles even after a foliar application, which suggests there may be some resistance developing in other areas as well.

Conditions for late blight are moderate to high risk due to the frequent rains, however no spores have been detected. Bisht says the chance of getting late blight is remote. Late blight has been reported in British Columbia and Bisht notes there is a chance westerly winds could bring it to Manitoba later in the season.

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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.