Minnesota Crop News

On this podcast, Fabian Fernandez, Dan Kaiser and Carl Rosen explain what's fact or fiction in statements such as "plants prefer organic sources of nutrients because they are more available," "variable rate application of fertilizer will increase crop yield," and others. Listen and learn! Listen to the podcast. Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode on iTunes or Stitcher ! For the latest nutrient management information, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook , follow us on Twitter or visit our website . View the podcast transcript. Support for this project was provided in part by the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC).

Fabian Fernandez, Dan Kaiser and Carl Rosen bust myths around soil fertility. Does variable rate application of fertilizer increase crop yield? Is anhydrous ammonia bad for soil microbes? Listen and learn. Thank you to the Minnesota Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) for their support of this podcast.

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have just published the 2018 Field Crop Trials Bulletin . Simply follow this link to find the results for your crop of interest or follow these links to find  corn ,  soybeans ,  spring wheat , winter wheat , barley , oats ,  alfalfa or  silage corn directly.

By: Anne Nelson, Extension educator & Paul0 Pagliari, Extension nutrient management specialist In recent years, biostimulants have sparked an interest with many crop producers. With these products getting more attention, we find there is much to debate on their effectiveness. Before we discuss whether Extension recommends them, let’s talk about the different types and what they actually do. What are biostimulants?  A legal definition of biostimulants has yet to be decided. However, the European Biostimulants Industry Council describes them as “Substances and/or microorganisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to stimulate natural processes to benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency tolerance to abiotic stress, and/or crop quality, independently of its nutrient content.” There are many categories of biostimulants. The most popular are humic acids, seaweed extracts, liquid manure composting and beneficial bacteria and fungi. Humic and fulvic ac

By Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist Hybrid selection is one of the most important decisions in corn production. Results from the 2018 University of Minnesota corn grain and silage performance trials are available at http://z.umn.edu/corntrials . Hybrids that consistently perform well across multiple locations or years in a region are desirable because next year’s growing conditions are uncertain. Consider trial results from multiple sources, including universities, grower associations, seed companies, and on-farm trials. Results from other corn trials are available at: Minnesota Corn Growers Association Iowa State University University of Wisconsin North Dakota State University South Dakota State University Criteria for selecting corn hybrids for grain: Identify an acceptable maturity range based on the growing degree days required for a hybrid to reach maturity. Selected hybrids should reach maturity at least 10 days before the first average freeze to allow t

On-farm research can provide great management benefits when done the right way. The key is in paying attention to the details and having a plan every step of the way. On this podcast, Brad Carlson, Anne Nelson and Dan Kaiser discuss what makes a good on-farm test, what to do with your data and how to ensure that data is good. Click here to listen to the podcast. Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode on iTunes or  Stitcher ! For the latest nutrient management information, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management  on Facebook , follow us  on Twitter  or visit  our website . View transcript of the podcast. Support for this project was provided in part by the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC).