Invasive Crop-Killing Stink Bug Found In British Columbian

Nov 30, 2016

British Columbians are being asked to be on the look out for a destructive agricultural pest called the brown marmorated stink bug, after one of the beetles was recently found in Penticton, B.C.

The insect was discovered in an area close to the Penticton channel, said B.C. Fruit Growers' Association (BCFGA) field services manager Hank Markgraft in an interview.

The brown marmorated stink bug is an invasive pest that attacks tree fruits, berries, grapes, vegetables, corn and ornamental plants.

"It's a piercing-sucking insect," said Markgraft.

"It likes to sit on top of grapes or apples or cherries, pierce into the body of the fruit and suck out some juice. That makes a nasty welt on the fruit, making it unmarketable."

The stink bug is a native pest of Asia and was first identified in North America in Pennsylvania in 2001, according to the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture.

The species spread through the mid-Atlantic states and is established in California, Oregon and Washington.

In 2010, the species caused $37 million dollars in damage to the mid-Atlantic U.S. apple industry.

In 2012, a stink bug was discovered in Hamilton, Ont. and the pest has since spread to several municipalities across the province and to Prince Edward Island.

That same year, the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture put out a warning about the species, asking people not to bring fruits or vegetables into the province from the U.S. or other provinces.

Source : CBC

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.