Seeding window still open for corn and sunflowers

May 05, 2022

Manitoba farmers are eager to start seeding.

Morgan Cott is a Agronomy Extension Specialist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance.

"Corn would definitely be going into the ground right now, just because we'd probably be already into seeding at least two maybe three weeks on a normal year. Right now would be a typical time to be starting in the [Red River] Valley," she said. "We're not quite as in bad shape as I think most people might expect. Just because once we do get on the ground, corn's probably going to be one of the first things to go in because it needs such a long season. As long as the ground is warm it should pop up pretty quickly and typically if we aren't planting until the first week of May or even if it's earlier in some cases, the ground's not quite warm enough anyway, so it takes three weeks to emerge and sometimes even germinate."

Cott also commented on sunflowers.

"We're still okay for sunflowers. They tend to get planted a little bit later. It just depends where they fall in a producer's line-up with the rush that they're going to be in this year. You want to get them in reasonably early."

Cott says root rot and seedling diseases could be an issue this year in some areas due to the damp conditions.

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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.