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Save the dates: Nitrogen and nutrient management conferences are back, February 2022

The 14th annual Nutrient Management Conference and the 8th annual Nitrogen Conference will be available in-person and online February 2022. The Nutrient Management Conference will be on February 8th in Mankato while the Nitrogen Conference will take place on February 15th in St. Cloud . Learn more and register below. In-person attendance will be limited to 100 people for each conference, with a fee of $20 payable at the time of registration. Lunch is provided for in-person attendees. Virtual attendance is unlimited and free but registration is required. Both conferences offer continuing education credits (CEUs) in soil and water and nutrient management for Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs). Nutrient Management Conference February 8, 2022 in Mankato, Minn. Register now: In-person event or online version (Zoom) In-person event location: Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato, Minn. Presentations: Timing of phosphorus application for corn and soybean - Da

Hold the dates for Small grain workshops

Jared Goplen, Extension educator - crops If you're a farmer or crop consultant already producing small grains or are looking for another crop to add to your rotation, these workshops are for you. Ten small grain management events will be offered across Minnesota in January and February of 2022. They'll focus on production agronomics, variety selection, and economics, and include an open-forum discussion for related topics and on-farm experiences. Thanks to the generous support of the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council, registration is free and lunch is included at all sites. Workshop details Dates, locations, times and contacts follow: Monday, January 17, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Morris West Central Research and Outreach Center, lunch after meeting (Contact Jared Goplen at 507-829-0614) Monday, January 31, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. – Roseau Roseau City Center, Lunch prior to meeting (Contact Angie Peltier at 218-281-8692) * Private Pesticide Applicator Training will pre

The long-term costs of covering up

Anna Cates, State soil health specialist Rye cover crop terminated prior to soybean. How much cover crops cost to implement and whether they can make you money is a subject of heated debate. Costs are obvious: seed, time and fuel to plant and terminate them. The benefits tend to be less tangible and slower to accumulate: cover crops stabilize yields , but don’t necessarily increase them, and sometimes they lead to lower nutrient or herbicide applications over time . They’ll also definitely slow erosion and nutrient loss , but unless you’re spending money each year on eliminating ruts and putting in grass waterways, those savings can be hard to see. A new spreadsheet tool developed by Katie Wilts Johnson, the MN Office for Soil Health, and the Center for Farm Financial Management lets growers and advisors play around with different scenarios to see what’s profitable over one, five and ten year periods. Plant the cover crop yourself instead of hiring an operator? Big boost. Planning on

Advance corn hybrid selection with new trial results

Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist Hybrid selection is one of the most important factors affecting corn yield and profitability. In trials where many corn hybrids are compared, it is common for grain yield to vary by 30 to 50 bushels per acre or more among hybrids. Seed costs should also be considered when selecting corn hybrids, as several hybrids often produce yields that are among the highest in a trial. Additionally, it is important to stay current with corn hybrid selection, as the rate of genetic yield improvement by year of hybrid commercial release is nearly 2 bushels per acre. To select corn hybrids, look at results from multiple trials from reputable sources. Trials that have all hybrids replicated at least two or three times and also compare hybrids from multiple companies are of particular value. Look for consistent performance Select hybrids that consistently perform well across multiple locations or years with soils and growing conditions similar to those of your

Gopher Coffee Shop podcast: Where did all of those soybean bushels come from?

In this installment of the Gopher Coffee Shop podcast, Extension educators Ryan Miller and Brad Carlson sit down with Seth Naeve, Extension Soybean Agronomist with the University of Minnesota. We ask Seth the question that is on many people’s minds: Where did all the bushels come from? We talk about the 2021 growing season and its influence on soybean production, as well as things to think about as we plan for next season. Listen to the podcast There are many articles related to what we've discussed on the Crop News blog linked below. Minnesota Crop News blog: https://z.umn.edu/cropnews Sign up to receive Minnesota Crop News: https://z.umn.edu/CropNewsSignup The Gopher Coffee Shop Podcast is available on Stitcher and iTunes . Enjoy! For more information, visit University of Minnesota Extension Crop Production at http://z.umn.edu/crops .

Fertilizer prices and supply chain issues: What to know

The last time fertilizer prices were this high, many U.S. farmers switched from growing corn to soybean, resulting in an 11% decrease in demand for nitrogen fertilizer. Farmers also applied significantly less phosphate and potash fertilizer. In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we discuss why fertilizer prices are so high and what farmers should be thinking about. Where are fertilizer prices right now and how do they compare to the recent past? Why are fertilizer prices so high right now? What are price ratios and why is this an important metric to watch? How are farmers reacting to the high prices and fertilizer availability concerns? What should growers be thinking about in terms of fertilizer purchasing decisions and nutrient management planning this fall and next spring? Listen to the podcast View the podcast transcript Guests: Brad Carlson, U of M Extension educator Jim Carlson, Vice President of Agronomy at United Farmers Co-op in Winthrop, Minnesota Russ Quinn