Root Rot An Issue For Saskatchewan Farmers

Pulse growers are once again dealing with issues around root rot in areas that saw moisture this year, last year it was a real concern in the West Central part of the province.

 

Aphanomyces and fusarium are two key diseases that can contribute to root rot.

 

Sherrilyn Phelps, the Agronomy Manager with Sask Pulse Growers says aphanomyces is the one that's most problematic.

 

"There's nothing we can do to control it and it lives in the soil for more than 10 years once you do have it. So, it's just something that like once its there it's very, very hard to get rid of and takes a very long time for the level in the soil to get down to a level that's safe to go back in and plant."

 

Aphanomyces is more common in years with abundant moisture.

 

She notes symptoms of root rot started showing up in pea and lentil crops following the June rains.

 

"It has a dramatic impact, you can see those fields driving down the road that have root rots, they are completely yellow. The yield potential is greatly reduced, you know in some cases it can be just minimally impacted, but in a lot of cases its a fair impact on yields. I can't give you an exact number, but we've seen almost complete write offs depending on when the disease comes in and how badly it comes in."

 

She notes there is no control options available for root rot other than lengthening crop rotations and susceptible species like pulses.

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.