Minnesota Crop News

by Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist

Plan now to attend the online Pre-Harvest Corn Agronomy Forum on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and Tuesday, September 22, 2020, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. on both dates.

This program, developed for corn growers and ag professionals, will address pre-harvest considerations to enhance the profitability of corn production:

The September 8 session will discuss this year’s corn growing season and strategies for making the most of hybrid selection.

The September 22 session will focus on pre-harvest considerations for corn, including corn maturity, grain moisture, in-field dry-down of grain, yield monitor calibration, stalk quality, pre-harvest losses, and harvest losses.

Each session will involve a 15-20 minute presentation, followed by a question-and-answer/discussion period.

There is no cost for this program, but pre-registration is required. You only need to register once for this series of webinars. Please register in advance at: Pre-Harvest …

By: Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient management specialist

From May to July of this year, 13 inches of rain fell at the Northwest Research & Outreach Center in Crookston — about 3.5 inches greater than the 30-year average. What started out as a near-normal season for rain took a sudden turn with seven inches of rain in July. Quite literally, when it rained, it poured.

Many factors play into whether heavy rains lead to nutrient loss. Some of these factors are how much it rained, what soil type you have, what crop you grew, how much fertilizer you applied, how quickly it rained after you applied the fertilizer, and whether you have tile (or irrigation). One of the key factors that determines if water will become soil moisture or runoff is rainfall intensity. The soil can only absorb water so fast. This is the soil’s infiltration rate. If rainfall intensity exceeds the soil’s infiltration rate, you get ponding or runoff.

Infiltration rate depends on both the soil’s physical propertie…

Reports of low Hagberg Falling Numbers (HFN) in this year's HRSW crop are coming in from the Crookston to Mahnomen area.  This is the same area were growers noticed problems first last year.  I wrote a blog post last year that details a lot of the technical details of the HFN test and why it matters to buyers.  You can find that post here.We also learned some things from last season.  First, the number of rain events i.e. repeated wetting and drying cycles matters to trigger preharvest sprouting.  No discernable differences in HFN were found between varieties with a Preharvest Sprouting (PHS) tolerance rating of 1 and 2 and varieties with PHS tolerance of 3 or worse when less than 4 rain events were recorded between physiological maturity and grain harvest.  It took actually 12 wetting events to start seeing the first sprout damage and a corresponding drop in HFN in the varieties with poorer PHS tolerance. Secondly, we had no indications that Late Maturity Alpha-amylase (LMA) play…

Welcome to the 3rd IPM Podcast for Field Crops of 2020. Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. This Podcast is sponsored by the UMN Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program. In this week’s podcast, we feature Bruce Potter, University of Minnesota Extension IPM Specialist based out of the Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton, MN. Potter discussed insect pests he has been seeing in southern Minnesota and across the state ranging from soybean gall midge, two-spotted spider mite, and corn rootworm.Soybean gall midge continues to be a concern as a new emerging pest of soybean in southwestern counties. Larval feeding under the epidermis of plants can cause heavy yield loss through wilting and plant death, especially on field edges. Research is underway to understand this new pest's biology, but management is complicated by multiple generations throughout summer and related difficulty timing foliar insecticid…

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension soil fertility specialist
Boron (B) is a micronutrient needed in small quantities by crops. Since the need for the nutrient is low, there have not been recommendations for boron fertilizer application in most crops across Minnesota. Based on tissue sampling results, some say boron fertilizer is needed to maximize yields for some crops. However, the data indicating what a good versus a bad plant tissue concentration is across most of the Corn Belt is lacking as boron deficiencies are not widespread. Without a deficiency, it is very difficult to generate sufficiency levels in plant tissue samples.
AlfalfaBoron deficiency for alfalfa has previously been identified in Minnesota. Alfalfa is much more sensitive to boron deficiencies than other crops. However, it is unlikely that your alfalfa is deficient in boron unless it is grown on sandy soil, organic matter concentrations are low, and the soil is dry.
CornA three-year study funded by the Agricultural Fertilizer …

Bruce Potter, IPM specialist

With a large number of adults emerging at research sites in southwestern Minnesota this past week, now is a good time to find the soybean gall midge larvae. A short video has been updated to include late season scouting. Growers are encouraged to keep an eye out when scouting soybeans, since damage and symptoms are increasing in infested fields.

By M. Scott Wells, Extension agronomist – Forage/Cropping systems

Cover crop adoption across the U.S. is on the rise, but Minnesota adoption has hovered around 2%. While Midwestern farmers understand the importance of soil health, adopting sustainable technologies that offer limited near-term economic returns is challenging.

Four southeastern Minnesota farmers, the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP) and the University of Minnesota are addressing that challenge. They are pairing wide-spaced corn rows with cover crops to test whether both economic and ecological outcomes could be improved.
Why wider rows? Row spacings vary between operations, crops, and locations across the U.S., but generally, corn is typically managed in 30-inch rows. For 40 years or more, crop rows have narrowed to maximize sunlight interception and subsequent profitability. As a result, thirty-inch corn rows are broadly accepted as a best management practice with the highest return on investment.

If wider-…

Two upcoming virtual field days will give farmers and agronomists the opportunity to learn about the latest agronomic research in central Minnesota from the comfort of their own home. U of M scientists will join other presenters to deliver timely information about ongoing research at the Rosholt Research Farm in Westport, Minnesota, and the Sand Plain Research Farm (SPRF) in Becker. 

These field days will be held online so participants can join from their computer, tablet, or phone. Pre-registration is required for both events. Participants will be able to ask the researchers questions after their presentations.  Rosholt Research Farm Virtual Field Day - Aug. 20Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 (12pm-1:15pm)
Location: Online Register: Pre-register online here
Cost: Free Contact: Holly Kovarik, Pope SWCD, 320-634-5327, www.popeswcd.org

This webinar will look at results from ongoing research at the Rosholt Research Farm. MDA Commissioner Thom Peterson will give the opening remarks. Participants …