Minnesota Crop News

After spending last episode talking about the background and history of nitrogen rate recommendations in Minnesota, today on episode 14 we’re talking about what to keep in mind as you begin predicting your nitrogen rate needs. How do yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) factor into decision-making? Are there any N rate databases available to Minnesota growers? What are the pros and cons of a variable rate strategy, or cover crops for example? Brad and Dan talk about that and much more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Corn nitrogen rate calculator Fertilizing corn in Minnesota Nitrogen fertilizer BMPs for agricultural lands --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesot...

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have published the 2024 Minnesota Field Crop Trials. Visit varietytrials.umn.edu/2024 to see variety trials for 8 different Minnesota crops. Crops included in this year’s trial include barley , canola , corn grain , oat , soybean , spring wheat , winter rye , and winter wheat . About the Crop Variety Trials When farmers are ready to make seed choices, the University of Minnesota field crop trials offer unbiased and trustworthy information. The annual Field Crop Trials are one of the keyways MAES works to bring valuable research into the hands of farmers and ultimately help improve farm profitability, improve the economy and overall quality of life in Minnesota. Since the late 1880s, MAES has published reports of crop variety trials but it wasn’t until 1948 that the trials were combined into a single annual publication. Today, the annual field crop trials a...

Liz Stahl, Extension educator-crops and Phyllis Bongard, Educational content development and communications specialist Photo: Liz Stahl Pull up a chair and join in or bring the conversation with you as you go about your day. Whatever works best for you, join us this winter to discuss some of the key issues and questions around commodity crop production facing Minnesota farmers today through the “ Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops ” webinar series. This live, online program will provide up-to-date, research-based information to help optimize your crop management strategies for 2025. Sessions will be held over Zoom, which can be accessed via your computer, phone, or other mobile device, and will run from 9:00 to 10:00 am Wednesdays, January 8 through March 26, 2025. Sessions will be very informal and open to all interested. Each session will start with a brief presentation by the discussion leaders for the day, followed by discussion framed around farmer/participant questions on the to...

Join us at the 20th annual Soil Management Summit on January 29-30, 2025 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, MN. As this year’s harvest wraps up and we begin to prepare for the next season, it’s time to reflect on ways we can change and adapt our management to better our profits, yields, soils, and water resources. There’s no better place to get these questions answered and learn from the experience of others than at the Soil Management Summit!  The annual Soil Management Summit (formerly the Conservation Tillage Conference) emphasizes the sharing of lived, practical experience among farmers, researchers, and advisors. Whether you prefer to get your information from several of the 15 breakout session presentations, the 3 panels, 13 table talk topics, or at the evening's Beer and Bull, the Soil Management Summit has something for everyone. Presentation and Panels Choose from a wide variety of presentations and panels. Some topics include:  Strategic tillag...

Come join Minnesota Crop Production Retailers and the University of Minnesota Extension! The three-day Minnesota Crop Pest Management Short Course program & Minnesota Crop Production Retailers Trade Show starts Tuesday, December 10th and continues through Thursday, December 12. The trade show and educational sessions will take place at the downtown Minneapolis Hilton Hotel. All the program details, including registration and hotel information for the 2024 Crop Pest Management Short Course & MCPR Trade Show can be found on the Minnesota Crop Production Retailers website. Briefly, the educational program offers a diverse assortment of sessions and opportunities. For example, the general session on Wednesday morning will include panel discussions on “MCPR Legislative Policy Discussion and Elections Update” and “Soil Health and Climate Smart Ag: What’s in it for me?”, and a presentation on “AI Guided Advancements in Agriculture”. On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, severa...

A rotating mill attached to the combine separates weed seeds  from crops at harvest time and pulverizes the seeds so they cannot  sprout new weeds. Left to Right: Debalin Sarangi, Nathan  Zellmann, Ryan Mackenthun. In growing crops, much hinges on what happens down under — as in the soil. A McLeod County farmer is taking it a step further, exploring solutions from Down Under — as in Australia. Ryan Mackenthun operates a 2,200-acre corn and soybean farm with his brother-in-law, Nathan Zellmann. There, they’re piloting a new method of destroying weeds called harvest-time weed seed control, which relies on a rotating mill attached to the combine that separates weed seeds from harvested crops. The mill pulverizes weed seeds to the point where they no longer pose a threat to fields. “Being in the next generation of farmers, if you’re not looking for new ways of doing things, you shouldn’t expect different results,” says Mackenthun. “Working with the Univers...