Heat, Low Moisture Leading To Premature Harvest For Some Farmers

Aug 08, 2019

The combination of heat and little moisture has some farmers taking their crops off prematurely, according to Winkler-area farmer Jack Froese.

He has begun swathing canola already because of early ripening.

"We're not sure how good it will have filled in the end here. The seed size might be a little smaller which always impacts yield, but generally the crop did look pretty decent," Froese said.

While earlier planted crops may have had sufficient precipitation, many farms are struggling with low moisture levels.

"The soybeans and dry beans and corn desperately need rain; it's really dry, and the subsoil is totally deficient and the topsoil by now, as well," he said. "If you look at the stems on the corn ... a lot of them are starting to turn colour and it's very premature."

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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.