Beef Producers Optimistic Heading Into Fall

Manitoba Beef Producers is giving an update on pasture conditions.

 

Carson Callum is the organization's general manager.

 

"It kind of varies. Some areas definitely had that timely rain and pastures are still holding on and looking pretty decent but there is some sporadic areas across the province that maybe didn't get that rain and they already had poor forage stands going into the year because of the back-to-back really bad years. They might be lacking a bit and having to put some supplemental feed or something on pasture to keep it going before they bring those animals in."

 

Callum says annual feed supplies are looking good for most producers.

 

"People, in terms of their annual feed that they develop, it's looking pretty good. We've heard a lot of good things about green feed yield and corn silage...I'm hoping in those areas that had those good annual crops that would be used for feed, didn't get hit too hard yet with frost and can be chopped and don't have high nitrates that could cause problems as a feed ingredient. Overall, I think we're in a better situation."

 

Callum notes dugout levels appear adequate with some good timely rains this year.

 

He says the fall cattle run is just getting underway, with some yearlings going in.

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.