Minnesota Crop News

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 ...

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.

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...

Eric Yu, Extension Educator – IPM Crops, Dave Nicolai, Extension Educator – Crops As harvest approaches, now is a good time to scout fields and field edges for weeds that escaped earlier control. Mowing fence lines, field edges and other non-crop areas can help prevent weeds from producing seed and reduce the potential for weed seeds to move into fields during harvest. Despite the drier conditions across much of Minnesota this year, weeds continue to emerge and develop in fields and along field edges. Take time now to identify and manage these weeds before they produce additional seed and replenish the soil seedbank. Scout for escaped weeds Many weeds in corn and soybean fields are flowering or developing seed. Pay particular attention to waterhemp and other pigweed species, giant and common ragweed, kochia, common lambsquarters and annual grasses. Waterhemp is especially important to manage because it can produce viable seed within 10 days of pollination and is capable of producing hu...

Robert Koch, Extension Soybean Entomologist, Eric Yu, Extension Educator – IPM Crops Midsummer heat helped keep soybean aphid populations in check across much of Minnesota, as temperatures above 90°F can limit aphid reproduction and survival. However, more moderate temperatures have recently created favorable conditions for aphid population growth, and numbers are increasing rapidly in some areas. Rainfall has also been uneven across the state. While some areas have received much-needed moisture during pod and seed development, other soybean fields remain under significant drought stress. These dry conditions can also favor two-spotted spider mites, making careful, field-by-field scouting important. Below are several considerations for scouting and managing soybean aphids as fields approach the later reproductive growth stages. Scouting strategies Continue scouting based on soybean growth stage rather than the calendar. Aphid populations can continue to increase late in the season, par...

By: Brad Carlson, Extension educator Urea is now the most used nitrogen (N) fertilizer source in Minnesota. The switch away from anhydrous ammonia (NH3) has occurred for many reasons. Some of these include safety of the product, needing specialized equipment for storing, handling and applying, and a narrow range of soil conditions when anhydrous ammonia can be applied. Despite these issues, there are reasons to still consider anhydrous the best source of N in many situations. The science The N content of anhydrous ammonia is 82%, making it the most concentrated N fertilizer available, and therefore the most efficient with respect to its weight and the space it takes up. This means that less product needs to be transported and applied to the field to get the desired N rate. This results in savings of both time and money for the farmer. Anhydrous ammonia is the feedstock from which all other N fertilizers are produced. This means that every other product – such as urea and urea ...