True Armyworm Survey

True armyworm has been reported in a number of regions in the province including but not limited to Grey, Bruce, Simcoe, Haldimand, Niagara, Middlesex, Lambton, Elgin, Oxford, Perth, and Bruce counties.  Armyworm has been found at low levels in some fields while others have met thresholds and have required control. Those crops that are at most risk include cereals, corn and mixed forages.

 

We have not had a significant armyworm outbreak like this for a number of years.  However, this is a great opportunity to collect as much information as possible and learn from it.  To help us get the most information possible, we are asking for your help!  If you are out scouting cereal fields this growing season and have come across true armyworm, we want you to let us know where you found this pest and at what levels, along with some basic field information. To enter your field information, please complete the armyworm survey at the following link: True Armyworm Survey. The survey can be accessed from your smartphone, tablet or you can enter the field location information at your desktop computer.

 

The best time to scout for true armyworm is shortly after dusk when larvae are actively feeding. In corn, examine 20 plants in five areas in the field (100 plants total). In cereals and mixed forages, examine 10 areas of the field, assessing the number of larvae per 30 cm2 (1 ft2).  Pay particular attention to the border area directly adjacent to other grassy host crops. During the day, if it is cloudy and overcast, you might be lucky enough to see larvae in the whorl, leaf axil, or on the head of the plant but on sunny days, they will be down on the ground among the crop debris or under soil clods. Brown frass may also be present on the plants and on the soil surface.

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.