Dry Conditions Also Affecting Livestock Producers

 

Similar to grain farmers, livestock producers are also feeling the effects of the dry weather.

 

Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Brian Lemon shared some of his concerns.

 

"Concern about how fast the grass is coming and how much nutrients there is out there and how much food there actually is on the pastures and how quick it's going to start growing," he said. "Anytime we're putting cattle out on pasture, if there isn't enough food out there, then we're looking at supplementing it somehow, so those are all feed costs that aren't typical and certainly don't help producers with their bottom line."

 

Lemon says a lack of rain means that hay production is going to be slow and late. He adds the increased risk of fire is also concerning.

 

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.