Minnesota Crop News

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, three U of M researchers talk about liming. Which crops benefit the most from lime application? What should growers look for in a liming material? How are the university's lime recommendations developed? Listen to the podcast View the podcast transcript Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist Jeff Vetsch, U of M soil science researcher  Additional resources: Liming materials for Minnesota soils Lime needs in Minnesota Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode on iTunes and Stitcher ! For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to Minnesota Crop News email alerts, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook , follow us on Twitter , and visit our website . Support for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC).

Anna Cates, State soil health specialist, Lizabeth Stahl, Extension educator - crops, and Axel Garcia y Garcia, Agronomist - Sustainable crop systems There are a lot of questions when you decide to plant a cover crop. As with a cash crop, you need to determine what species and variety to plant, when to plant, and what seeding rate to use. Recommendations for these practices depend on a farmer’s cropping system and goals and change with grower experience and peer reviewed research.  The Midwest Cover Crop Council’s Cover Crop Decision Tool utilizes research-based information and grower experience to guide farmers planning to seed a cover crop. Over the last year, a group of Minnesota cover crop experts reviewed and updated the tool, which can be accessed at: https://mccc.msu.edu/covercroptool/ Getting started To use the selector tool, first enter both the state and county where you farm. This brings in local weather data, which are used to determine the risk of a killing frost d

In this short video, Extension manure management specialist Melissa Wilson and research manager Scott Cortus teach you how to build your own liquid manure sampler and what to do to make sure you get a representative sample.  Accurate sampling is important because liquid manure’s nutrient content varies from farm to farm depending on several factors. Getting a better idea of your manure's nutrient content can help you improve your nutrient management plan, potentially increasing your yield and profitability.  Additional resources Manure sampling and nutrient analysis Guidelines for manure application rates Calculating manure application rates 2020 manure research updates --- For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to Minnesota Crop News email alerts, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook , follow us on Twitter , and visit our website . Support for Minnesota Crop News nutrient management blog posts is provided in part by the Agricultural Fertilizer Res

Vasudha Sharma, Extension irrigation specialist While we all would like summer to last a little longer, the reality is that winter is just around the corner. Many of you must be wrapping up all of the farm operations. If you have an irrigation system on your farm, this is the perfect time to consider “winterizing” it.  Irrigation systems should be checked thoroughly at the end of the fall season to maintain proper operation for the coming growing season. Below are some basic steps that can be followed to protect your irrigation system as well as to ensure that the system is ready for the next growing season:  Conduct the uniformity test and check the sprinkler performance Perform a “catch can” uniformity test to ensure that system is applying water uniformly and if there are any leaks, missing or damaged sprinklers, damaged pipes, regulators, etc., that needs to be repaired or replaced. The details about the uniformity test can be found at https://z.umn.edu/IrrigationUnifromityTest

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, three U of M researchers discuss our manure nitrogen guidelines. What are the most important considerations when making a nutrient management plan for manure application? Is it possible to put a value on the nutrients in manure? How does manure fit in with the maximum return to nitrogen (MRTN) approach used in the current nitrogen fertilizer guidelines? Thank you to Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) for supporting the podcast.

By: Fabian Fernandez and Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialists Wetter conditions in recent years have led to more questions about polymer-coated urea. Polymer-coated urea is a urea granule that is coated with a polymer that slows the release of urea into the soil. The most widely available polymer-coated urea product on the market for production agriculture is ESN. The most important thing to understand about polymer-coated urea is that it is not an inhibitor like nitrapyrin or DCD. Temperature and moisture With polymer-coated urea, urea is released by diffusion. Water diffuses through the polymer coating and dissolves the urea inside. Over time, the urea diffuses through the coating into the soil where it converts to plant-available forms of nitrogen (N). There are a couple things to note with this process. First, the coating does not itself break down, releasing the urea. You can often still find the empty coatings in the field at the end of the growing season, b

Precision nitrogen management (PNM) has the potential to significantly improve corn growers’ nitrogen (N) use efficiency and reduce N losses. PNM aims to match N supply and crop N demand in both space and time. However, despite its great potential, the adoption of PNM technologies in the Midwest is still very low, with only about 20% of farmers adopting it. Supported by the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC), the University of Minnesota’s Precision Agriculture Center (PAC) is developing cutting-edge PNM strategies and technologies for corn.  A major development in the field is remote sensing and calibration strip-based PNM technology for corn, which is illustrated in the image below. This PNM technology is a very practical way to help farmers improve N use efficiency and reduce N losses via leaching and other pathways. It is based on site-, year-, and hybrid-specific calibration, and can be implemented on any field. Satellite, aerial, or UAV remote sensin

Direct connections between water running over the land surface and groundwater, although not usually as dramatic as this cave entrance in Fillmore County, are common in karst regions. (Image credit: Greg Klinger/U of M Extension) By: Extension educators Greg Klinger & Taylor Becker Recently, in response to a previous blog post on the state’s updated Groundwater Protection Rule (GPR), we have been asked why groundwater in some areas of Minnesota is more vulnerable to contamination. The GPR, which is focused on keeping the nitrate form of nitrogen out of groundwater, has a technical definition of what constitutes “vulnerable” groundwater areas. This definition, based on work done by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, has real-life consequences for farmers and agricultural professionals, as it restricts the application of nitrogen fertilizers in the fall and on frozen soils in these vulnerable areas. While there is a specific

A new Extension handout details research results from a study led by Extension specialist Fabian Fernandez at the Rosholt Research Farm in Westport, Minnesota. The farm is in the Bonanza Valley and has an irrigation system. The handout shows data from 2016 to 2019 for two cover crop systems: winter rye and Kura clover living mulch.  Started in 2011, this research project is a long-term partnership between the University of Minnesota, the Pope County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, funded by the Minnesota Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment. Since its inception, this project has provided research projects for four graduate students. The following is a Q&A between Extension communications specialist Paul McDivitt and Fabian Fernandez, lead researcher of the study: What was your motivation for this study? We actually started this project before the new groundwater protection rule , but we knew that these areas are highly suscepti

 In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, three U of M researchers discuss liming. Which crops benefit the most from lime application? What should growers look for in a liming material? How are the university's lime recommendations developed? Thank you to Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) for supporting the podcast.

In this installment of the Gopher Coffee Shop podcast, Extension educators Ryan Miller and Brad Carlson sit down with Debalin Sarangi, University of Minnesota Extension Weed Scientist with the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. We learn a little about Debalin’s background in weed science, talk about current issues in weed management, and visit about where he sees weed management headed as we move into the future. You also have the opportunity to help him with a new research project (see link below). Enjoy! Weed seed sampling project article/request: https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2020/09/herbicide-resistant-weed-screening.html   Listen to the podcast Read about current issues in the Minnesota Crop News blog: 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 . For more information, visit University of Minnesota

By: Dan Kaiser & Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialists  The addition of fertilizer can be an important part for profitable soybean production. While research on soybean fertility is ongoing in Minnesota, revisions to the soybean fertilizer guidelines encompassing more recent findings from research across the state are now available. Here are five takeaways on the use of fertilizer for soybean in Minnesota: 1. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer application for soybean is unlikely to pay off Current guidelines suggest some N should be applied in northern Minnesota on fields where there is little or no history of soybean being grown or in situations where nodulation may be poor. Research has demonstrated that nitrogen fertilizer application can increase soybean grain yield in very high yield potential situations. However, in our research the amount of N required to increase yield has always been greater than the value of the yield increased by the fertilizer applied. This

In this installment of the Gopher Coffee Shop podcast, Extension educators Ryan Miller and Brad Carlson visit with Jeff Coulter, Extension Corn Systems Agronomist. We talk a little bit about things to consider as we enter corn harvest season. Topics covered include phantom yield loss, stalk and grain quality, grain moisture and dry down, compaction, and yield monitor calibration. Enjoy! Link to recent article:  https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2020/09/prepare-for-corn-harvest.html Listen to the podcast Read about current issues in the Minnesota Crop News blog: 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 . For more information, visit University of Minnesota Extension Crop Production at http://z.umn.edu/crops .

1. Under what conditions is it most economical to apply P fertilizer?   A three-year study funded by Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) of corn and soybean in northwest Minnesota found that it was more economical to apply phosphorus (P) fertilizer on low and medium testing soils. When properly fertilized, soils with low and medium P soil test values can yield the same as high and very high P testing soils. The probability of corn and soybean yield being limited is very low when soils test high or very high in soil test P. 2. Does ESN provide a yield and protein advantage in hard red spring wheat?  ESN is an effective way to reduce the risk of nitrogen loss. AFREC-funded research in northwest Minnesota has demonstrated the potential for ESN to boost protein content in wheat grain. However, the ratio of ESN to urea is important as increasing the percentage of ESN may result in decreased wheat grain yield in dry years. 3. What is the