Light Frost Spells Danger for Late Crops

Aug 23, 2019

Parts of Saskatchewan were hit by a light frost this past week, and some farmers are worried that their crops aren't as mature as they'd like.

Thankfully, the frost which hit areas south of North Battleford and Watrous was only around -1 to -2 degrees and only lasted about a few hours. Cory Jacob, crops extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture, says that the length of the frost is just as important as the severity of the temperature.

"The longer it freezes the more damage we see. If it just dips below 0° for a few hours there's a lot less damage in that regard."

The less mature a crop is, the more vulnerable it is to frost damage, meaning that crops like chickpeas and lentils are probably not too much at risk this time of year. Crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans however, are still at a point where a long and heavy frost could be devastating. Jacob says these crops are slightly behind due to lack of rain early in the spring.

"Everyone seeded when they could this year but the rains came in June and a lot of our crops didn't start growing until mid-June or even into July. That's really the factor right now. The moisture came later and the crops came later. This is what we have as a result."

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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.