Stripe Rust Mutation Could Spell Trouble For Ontario Wheat

Jul 21, 2016

Crop scientists in Ontario are concerned about a potentially devastating mutation in a fungus that affects wheat.

Agronomist Peter Johnson says Stripe Rust can destroy a crop in just a few days, but it was never a serious problem for Ontario farmers because it usually is warmer here than the fungus can tolerate.

“Normally we don’t see a lot of stripe rust, in my career this is a first,” he says. “It may not be the last because we are pretty sure the fungus has mutated and we now have a more heat tolerant Stripe Rust.”

Johnson says the fungus is carried by the wind from the United States but in the past it stopped being a threat in temperatures about 21 C.

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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.