Potato planting is nearing completion

May 31, 2022

Manitoba's potato farmers are getting close to wrapping up planting.

Vikram Bisht, Industry Development Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, estimates seeding progress at about 80 to 85 per cent complete. He expects growers should be able to finish with a couple more days of nice weather.

He commented on soil conditions.

"Soil conditions in many of the potato fields, which normally are sandier or lighter, fields, are moist deep but on the top in the planting zone, it has been reasonably ok. There are some areas within the fields where the planting will have to be skipped."

Bisht says the positive aspect of the delay in seeding is that the soils are warmer which will result in quicker emergence.

He notes seed rot could be a concern in some of the wetter 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.