Minnesota Crop News

Gary Wyatt, Extension educator - agroforestry
Recent land values, farm innovations and management such as adoption of no-till, minimum till, use of wide farm equipment, and windbreak plantings that are just getting old, have led to many windbreaks being removed. In time, windbreaks need to be renovated to restore the multiple benefits they offer rural landscapes. There are cost share programs available to plant new windbreaks and renovate mature plantings through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). In most areas where windbreaks were planted, there have been documented crop yield increases.

Fabian Fernandez, Nutrient management specialist
Anhydrous ammonia (AA) is one of the most widely used nitrogen (N) fertilizer source in Minnesota and the Midwest. Some of the reasons for its importance include the fact that this source is by far the most concentrated N fertilizer with 82% N (less weight of fertilizer per unit of N); it is readily available since AA is used in the manufacture of many commercial N fertilizers; it can be applied several weeks before planting with less N loss potential than other N sources; and most importantly AA normally represents a less expensive source of N. Some of the drawbacks of AA include the need for special facilities to store this gas as pressurized liquid, and special equipment to transport and applied this fertilizer; the application of AA can be slower than that of some other N sources; and because AA is released as a gas, it can pose a risk to human health if not handled properly. Every year as farmers start applying AA, invariably I ge…

By Daniel Kaiser
Extension Nutrient Management Specialist

I have been fielding more questions on seed placed fertilizer in areas where rainfall has been sparse this spring and soils are dry. In my previous post I discussed the use of in-furrow starter fertilizer. Placing fertilizer on the seed can help speed up early plant growth but also can substantially reduce stand if a fertilizer is over-applied or soils are dry. How dry is too dry? That is a good question and the answer depends on the soil corn is being planted in. For medium and fine textured soils, the risk of damage typically is lessened when the soil moisture content is 25% or greater.

Ideally we like you to seed wheat, barley, and oats at 1.5 to 2 inches of depth.  The idea is that the seed should be placed deep enough to have access to adequate moisture yet shallow enough to emerge as quickly as possible. Seeds too close to the surface absorb moisture but are at risk of dying because roots cannot reach moisture quickly enough to sustain the germination and seedling growth.  Deeper seeding can reduce stand density and plant vigor because the inability of the coleoptile to reach the surface.