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Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops focused on corn insect pests

Liz Stahl, Extension educator – crops and Fei Yang, Extension corn entomologist Overwintering European corn borer larva and its feeding damage within the lower stalk. Photo: Bruce Potter Although European corn borer (ECB) populations dropped dramatically after widespread adoption of Bt-corn hybrids, the discovery of Bt-resistant populations reminds us to not let our guard down on this pest. Corn rootworm (CRW) is another major corn pest in Minnesota where resistance to Bt traits has led to management challenges. ECB and CRW were the topic of discussion on the March 13th, Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops program with Dr. Fei Yang, Extension Entomologist with University of Minnesota Extension. European corn borer (ECB) European corn borer, specifically the larva, caused significant yield losses and economic damage throughout the U.S. Corn Belt prior to the introduction of Bt hybrids. Injury from ECB can lead to stalk breakage, ear droppage, stalk rots, ear rots, mycotoxins,
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Soil test pH and liming: Common questions and answers

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist When it comes to soil tests, I commonly receive questions about pH and liming. Below are some common questions I get and my answers. What exactly is the buffer pH?  Soils are routinely analyzed for water pH where equal weights of water and soil are mixed, and a pH electrode is used to determine the pH of the solution. The water pH represents what we call the “active” pH of the soil. When the water pH drops below a certain point, most labs will then run a buffer pH on the soil, which is used to determine the amount of limestone needed to raise the water pH to a desired value. Buffer pH methods use various extraction solutions and are meant to measure both the active and reserve acidity of the soil, which provides a better indication of how the active acidity will change when limestone is applied. The two tests will not return the same value and it is common for the buffer pH value to be higher than the water pH in nearly all soils

Did My Winter Wheat and Winter Rye Survive the Last Cold Snap?

Temperatures keep gyrating back and forth between hard freezes and very mild conditions.  I had received several reports that winter wheat and winter rye had started to green up before last week's return to freezing temperatures. You may be wondering whether the fields survived this last cold snap. The month of March truly is the 'witching hour' for winter wheat and winter rye. The crowns are aging and as a result, are less winterhardy than they were in December and January. I also explained in an earlier article that the crop is not able to return to the same level of winterhardiness if warm weather allows the crop to break dormancy. ,  To evaluate whether your winter wheat survived the last cold snap, I suggest you do the following: dig up several seedlings across the field and cut them longitudinal (lengthwise) with a very sharp knife or a safety razor blade. If the crowns look white/yellow to light green, they are healthy and will continue to grow. If you find that the

Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops focused on getting your best fertilizer ROI

Phyllis Bongard, Extension content development and communications specialist, Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist, and Jeff Vetsch, Researcher, Southern Research and Outreach Center Dry conditions and the winter that wasn’t is accelerating nutrient management decisions. Should fertilizer be applied now? How can you get the best return on your fertilizer investment given current prices and costs? Ryan Miller, Extension educator – crops, steered this wide-ranging discussion with Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist, and Jeff Vetsch, Researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center, to address these and other nutrient management questions in the March 6 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops session. Early spring fertilizer application Current field conditions are pushing early fertilizer application decisions. If phosphorus, potassium, or lime didn’t get applied last fall, this could be a good time to get that done. Without any rainfall, however, the

What does a record-warm winter mean for 2024 insect forecasts?

Dr. Anthony Hanson,  Regional Extension Educator - Field Crops Integrated Pest Management Cold winters help prevent many potential pest insects from establishing in Minnesota or require species that cannot survive our winters to migrate up from southern states each year. Extreme cold can also knock back species that are established here. The cold can be a welcome event for farmers from a pest management perspective, but the record-warm winter has left many farmers wondering if 2024 will be a severe year for insects, especially now that meteorological winter is over. Each year, I try to get a rough snapshot of how winter may have helped us out with reducing pest insect populations by using temperatures on the coldest night of the year. So far for most of the state, Jan. 20 had been the coldest night during winter 2023-24 with morning low air temperatures near -15 °F in the central portion of the state and below -20 °F farther north (Fig. 1). NOAA and the US National Phenology Network pr

Thinking of getting an early start on fertilizer applications? Here are a few things to consider.

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist; Fabian Fernandez, Extension nitrogen management specialist; & Jeff Vetsch, U of M SROC researcher The record warm winter has been raising questions about early spring fertilizer applications. With soils not frozen, yet fit enough for fieldwork, what are the risks of early fertilizer application? Most fertilizers are water-soluble and will dissolve readily at this point. If a soil is not frozen, any fertilizer that dissolves will react with the soil and stay where it was applied. Therefore, applications of phosphate and potash fertilizers present little risk for loss if they are not incorporated in the soil, unless excessive quantities of water are running off the soil surface. In addition, because the nitrogen in MAP, DAP, and AMS is in the ammonium form, it is not subject to volatility. In cold soils (less than 50°F), the accumulation of nitrate nitrogen from fertilizers is low. Nitrification is still possible if soils are

Spring fertilizer outlook: Key decisions after a warm winter

This episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast is our annual spring fertilizer outlook. What are the field conditions our panelists are seeing across the state? What options for early fertilizer application should Minnesota growers consider? What practices should be avoided-and why? Should growers be concerned about nitrogen carryover? What economic practices should growers keep in mind as the season begins? TRANSCRIPT Guests: Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Additional resources: Corn fertilizer guidelines Soybean fertilizer guidelines FINBIN - The Farm Financial Management Database Nitrogen Smart online course --- For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode! And don