Prairie Dryness Increasing Pest Threat

May 21, 2021

Current dryness across large parts of Western Canada may create a whole new set of problems for producers – insects.

John Gavloski, entomologist for Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development, said canola crops are at increased risk of flea beetle damage in particular this year, simply because the dry soil conditions are limiting crop development.

“We’ve had chronically high populations in recent years and what’s making the risk even greater this year is anything that keeps the plant in the seedling stage for a prolonged period will increase the risk,” he said. “So (because of) the dry conditions we’ve been having, if the crop emerges but isn’t advancing quickly, it makes it a lot more susceptible to flea beetle feeding.”

There is also a higher-than-normal population of cutworms this season, which can feed on a wide variety of crops, Gavloski added.

James Tansey, specialist of insect and vertebrate management for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, agreed that dry conditions and delayed seeding are helping increase the insect population in farm fields.

Doug Macaulay, acting provincial entomologist for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, urged growers to scout early and act quickly against pests. “The earlier you can take action on any insect, the better,” he said. “Smaller, younger nymphs and larvae are more susceptible and it takes less insecticide to deal with them.”

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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.