Potato Planting Nearing Completion

Jun 01, 2020

Manitoba's potato crop is starting to emerge.

Keystone Potato Producers Association (KPPA) Manager Dan Sawatzky says, on the processed side, planting is basically complete.

He talked about potato acres for this year.

"They're down a little bit from last year. COVID-19 has disrupted our markets, we're guessing around 2,000 acres below last year. One of the processors is up a little bit in volume and acreage and the other one is down."

Sawatzky says at least one processor has made layoffs due to COVID-19. He notes growers are being forced to store potatoes from last year, which can lead to a greater potential for deterioration.

The 2020 potato crop is about a week to ten days behind normal.

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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.