Minnesota Crop News

Beatriz Bizzuti , Assistant Professor and Forage Extension Agronomist As summer comes to an end and temperatures cool,  it is time to start preparing the stand for winter. How an alfalfa field enters winter can have a major influence on its ability to survive cold temperatures and produce forage the following spring. Fall management is especially important in the Upper Midwest, where alfalfa can be exposed to freezing temperatures, ice formation, snow cover, saturated soils, and rapid temperature changes. The goal of fall management is not simply to produce one more harvest. It is to balance the value of late-season forage with the need to allow plants to build reserves and develop adequate winter hardiness.   Why does fall management matter? Alfalfa stores carbohydrates and other reserves in its crown and roots. These reserves help the plant survive winter and support regrowth in the spring. As plants approach dormancy, they gradually allocate resources to their crown a...

In Episode #73 of MN CropCast, hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve sit down with Dr. Laura Lindsey, Extension Soybean and Small Grains Specialist at The Ohio State University. Dr. Lindsey shares critical agronomic insights from her career—ranging from baseline Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) sampling to evaluating biological seed treatments and the yield impacts of harvest timing under extreme weather conditions. Plus, get an exclusive look into her flagship research and extension project, "Battle for the Belt," which pits corn and soybean planting dates head-to-head across Ohio field locations. Catch Dr. Lindsey in person as a featured speaker at the upcoming Minnesota Crop Pest Management (CPM) Short Course in Minneapolis on December 9th! Discussion Topics: Baseline Soil & SCN Survey: Early in her OSU career, Dr. Lindsey conducted a statewide survey collecting 299 soil samples across Ohio. The study revealed that 60%–80% of sampled fields contained Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN...

By: Melissa Wilson, Extension Specialist for Manure Nutrient Management We recently updated the University of Minnesota Extension  manure application rate recommendations for non-irrigated corn based on recent soil fertility research.  Like with fertilizer, manure application recommendations are based on nitrogen rate research trials conducted across Minnesota over the past two decades (over 230 rate trials have been completed, most in the past seven years!).  Our goal is to evaluate the agronomics of corn production while minimizing the risk of N losses from overapplication. However, fertilizer-only application rates also take into consideration a third aspect – the economics of corn production (nitrogen cost versus corn prices). This is the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) method. Since the economics of manure application are quite different and incredibly variable across farms, the MRTN method is not applicable when using manure for the growing season it is...

Claire LaCanne, Anthony Hanson, and Eric Yu, Regional Extension Educators In early fall during soybean harvest, especially on a warm sunny day, the exterior walls of your house might be crawling with a few different types of unwelcome insects looking for shelter before winter. One of the most common of these is the multicolored Asian lady beetle, which is not native to North America (Fig 1.). This insect will find its way into homes, especially older homes that have small gaps and openings, and overwinter there until spring to avoid cold temperatures . They also feed heavily on a range of insect pests. Figure 1. Multicolored Asian lady beetle cluster together to survive winter in sheltered areas like trees, leaf litter, or buildings. Photo: UMN Extension. However, there are several myths about these multicolored Asian lady beetles, or so-called “Asian beetles” or “lady beetles” which earn them more disdain than they deserve. We’ve been noticing some misunderstandings and disgruntlement...

Sithin Mathew, Weed Science Graduate Student, Matt Pfarr, Former Crops Extension Educator, Debalin Sarangi, Extension Weed Scientist Figure 1. Asian copperleaf growing in a corn field in Rice County, MN (Picture by: Debalin Sarangi, UMN Extension) A New Report from Rice County In the fall of 2025, a new and concerning weed species has been identified in a corn field in Rice County, Minnesota: Asian copperleaf (Acalypha australis). Until now, this invasive species had only been reported in a handful of Iowa counties and in Illinois in the Midwest. Its presence in Minnesota is a significant development for farmers; it signals that the weed is spreading and could become a serious problem in corn and soybean systems if not managed early on. The USDA already recognizes Asian copperleaf as a “high-risk invasive weed”, and its arrival in Minnesota should serve as a wake-up call to scout fields carefully this harvest season. Where Did It Come From? Asian copperleaf is native to Eastern Asia, ...

Manure nutrient management is uniquely complex, and we discuss some reasons why on today's Advancing Nitrogen Smart episode. What specific factors make manure management far more complex than applying standard chemical fertilizer?  How do digestive systems and diets cause nitrogen availability to differ across various livestock species ?  Why does nitrogen availability decline so rapidly when manure is left exposed on the soil surface, and how much may be lost to atmospheric evaporation within a just few days?  How can farmers optimize their fertilizer investments and evaluate whether their crops received sufficient nitrogen using late-season testing ? These questions and more on today's 42nd episode of  Advancing Nitrogen Smart . Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: How to put together a manure management plan Nitrogen ava...