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What happens to soils during a drought?

  By: Extension climate educator Katie Black, Extension soil health educator Bailey Tangen, and Extension soil health specialist Anna Cates Drought has defined five of the last six summers in Minnesota, with below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures contributing to the spread of D1, D2, and D3 drought conditions across more than 75% of the state this summer. August is normally one of Minnesota's wettest months, but rainfall totals have continued to fall short. Drought is expected to persist  in much of the state through the end of the growing season. While impacts on corn yield are expected to be minimal across much of the state, seeing fields across the state recently had us wondering – beyond looking dry and cracked, what happens to our soils during a drought? Drought and soil health Healthy, productive soils have good soil structure, can cycle nutrients, can filter and retain water, are easily penetrated by plant roots, and support a variety of organisms li...
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Reminder: Strip-Till Expo Sept. 9, Lamberton SWROC

 By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator - Crops and Jodi DeJong-Hughes, Extension Educator - Water Quality
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Online recertification now available for Commercial Animal Waste Technicians (CAWTs)

The University of Minnesota Manure Team is reminding Commercial Animal Waste Technicians (CAWTs) that recertification for licensure in 2026 is now accessible starting September 1, 2026 through an online course. This digital offering allows CAWT professionals to meet their mandatory training requirements from the convenience of their homes. The course, covering a variety of critical topics, will remain available until October 31st, 2026 . Key focus areas include: Program updates from MDA Manure application timing and nitrification inhibitors Rule and permit regulatory updates from MPCA Water quality considerations for manure management Public perception and promoting the industry The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) emphasizes that anyone who fails to complete the course, whether in person or online, by the late October deadline, will need to retake the certification exam to renew their licensure. With a growing focus on environmental sustainability and safe manure management ...
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Update from the Hoosier State with Dr. Shaun Casteel

In this episode of MN CropCast, hosts Dave Nicolai and Dr. Seth Naeve sit down with Dr. Shaun Casteel, Soybean Agronomist at Purdue University. While our agronomic discussion covered a lot of ground, we didn't quite get around to asking whether Boilermakers actually use the term "Hoosier State" when talking about Indiana. We’ll have to tackle that pressing issue in a future episode! Key Episode Highlights The Road to Purdue: While he misses his summers walking beans on his childhood farm in Illinois, Shaun has been helping Indiana producers maximize their yields since 2009. We discuss how his graduate research at NC State laid the foundation for his current work in soil fertility An Interest in Sulfur (S): Dr. Casteel wasn't always strictly focused on sulfur, but diagnosing stubborn yield limitations in soybeans led him directly to this important and elusive nutrient Identifying S Deficiencies: Discover the unique challenges of pinpointing sulfur-responsive fields a...
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‘Do I need to irrigate again?’: Late-season irrigation considerations

By: Vasudha Sharma, Extension Irrigation Specialist For many Minnesota farmers, this growing season has been hot and dry with limited rainfall. While rainfall has varied considerably across the state, some areas remain dry or very dry as we approach the end of August. As corn and soybean crops move toward maturity, one question I am hearing is: Do I need to irrigate again? The answer depends on three things: How much water remains in the root zone, Where the crop is in its growth stage, and How much water the crop is likely to use before maturity. For irrigated fields, these factors can help determine whether another irrigation is needed and when to make the final irrigation. Don't stop thinking about water just because harvest is approaching Corn and soybean water use declines as crops approach maturity, but crops can still require significant amounts of water during the later reproductive stages. For corn, water stress during grain filling can reduce kernel weight and ultimately ...
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Strategic Farming: Field Notes – Late-season pest management update

By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator–Crops, Anthony Hanson, Extension Educator-Integrated Pest Management, and Dean Malvick, Extension Plant Pathologist Soybean aphids, unconventional treatments, and crop diseases were the topic of conversation on the August 12th Strategic Farming: Field Notes program. Drs. Anthony Hanson, Extension Educator – Integrated Pest Management, and Dean Malvick , Extension Plant Pathologist, joined Ryan Miller, Extension Educator-Crops to discuss these issues and more.
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2026 Fall fertilizer outlook: Crop results, current input prices & future options

Photo credit: University of Minnesota Extension August is in full swing, which means it's time for the Fall Fertilizer Outlook on the Nutrient Management Podcast . Our panelists recently returned from Minnesota's annual Farm Fest where they heard directly from farmers. How did crops do during the 2026 field season? What are current fertilizer prices, and are there alternative options that farmers might want to consider? What kind of planning tools might be useful for MN growers as we head into fall? Which fertilizer decisions might be postponed until spring? All of this plus more on the Nutrient Management Podcast. Read the full transcript Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, Lead researcher, Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca) Additional Resources: Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator U of M Corn Fertilizer Guidelines Why understanding the “price ratio” is key to picking a pr...
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