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Showing posts from November, 2020

Performance comparisons of early and late maturity soybeans in SE Minnesota available

by Lisa Behnken, Extension educator - crops Performance comparisons of early (1.0 to 1.8) and late (1.9 to 2.4) maturity soybeans in southeastern Minnesota are now available. Soybean evaluated in this trial were tolerant to one or more of the following herbicides: glyphosate, glufosinate, dicamba, 2,4-D, and/or a specific HPPD herbicide. Traits for each entry are included in tables 1-4. Yields for 16 early maturity entries ranged from 56.9 to 69.7 bushels per acre and from 56.2 to 70.4 bushels per acre for 16 late maturity entries. The study was conducted near Rochester, Minnesota (Lawler site) on a Port Byron silt loam: Planted  -  May 31, 2020 with a 4-row John Deere planter equipped with cone units Seeding rate  - 165,000 seeds per acre planted at a depth of 1.5 inches Row spacing -  30-inch rows Plot size -  4 rows by 22 feet Herbicides -  Warrant Ultra + Pursuit / Glyphosate + Select Max Insecticide - Sefina applied to control soybean aphids on August 14, 2020 Harvest -  Mach

How 4R Nutrient Stewardship can help Minnesota farmers

By: Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient management specialist, Northwest Research and Outreach Center If you haven’t heard about the 4Rs, this is the time to jump on board. The 4R Nutrient Stewardship concept is centered on the idea that the goal of soil fertility to apply the right source of nutrient, at the right rate , at the right time , and in the right place . The 4R framework is more of a soil fertility philosophy than a prescription. The exact soil fertility management plan will vary from farm to farm. But the overall goal is the same. If you are applying fertilizer in the most efficient, economical way possible for your farm, then both your farm and your community benefit. Soil is not as good at holding nutrients as we would like to believe. Over-time, the ‘build-and-maintain’ approach to fertilizer management leads to nutrients leaking off the field during heavy rainfall events in surface runoff or tile drainage discharge. As we have seen around the country, excess nutrients i

Financial advising scholarships available for cover crop farmers

The University of Minnesota Office for Soil Health (MOSH) announces Farm Business Management (FBM) scholarships for current Minnesota cover crop farmers. Producers who have successfully grown cover crops in three of the past ten years will be eligible for reduced tuition for participating in the financial advising programs offered by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and by the Southwest MN Farm Business Management Association. Scholarships will cover 50% of the cost of tuition for producers who are new to the FBM program and 5% for current FBM students. Participants work one-on-one with instructors using the FINPACK software to analyze their farm financial situation. By adding their data to the FINBIN database, individuals can compare their results to similar Minnesota farmers, while their data remains private. Scholarship recipients are expected to include data on cover crop expenses and benefits so they can assess their return on investment in cover crops. By increasing the

Tar spot of corn continued to spread in Minnesota in 2020

By Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota Figure 1. Tar spot in corn. Tar spot of corn has continued to spread in Minnesota. This disease was found in Minnesota for the first time in four counties in 2019. In 2020, it has been confirmed in 11 counties in southeastern Minnesota, including one county west of I35 ( https://corn.ipmpipe.org/tarspot-2/ ). The last sample of this year with suspected tar spot symptoms was received last week, but it turned out to be the black lesions that are common with mature rust infection ( https://corn.ipmpipe.org/tarspot-2/ ). Most of the counties with tar spot had many different fields confirmed with this disease. Fortunately, all or most of the confirmed tar spot developed only to low levels or late enough such that yield loss was none or minimal. These results confirm what we suspected, that tar spot would continue to spread in Minnesota. Dry weather in parts of southern Minnesota in July and August likely suppressed tar spot development and sprea

Making a nutrient management plan for manure application: Things to consider

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? Listen to the podcast View the podcast transcript Guests: Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Additional resources: Manure nutrient calculator MRTN corn nitrogen rate calculator UMN Extension manure website UMN Manure on Twitter Melissa Wilson on Twitter 2020 manure research updates 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, l

Highlights from Minnesota’s updated corn fertilizer guidelines

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist  An update was made to our corn fertilizer guidelines this spring. Here are a few things to note regarding changes to the guidelines: 1. Nitrogen: The U of M guidelines use the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) approach, which can be updated yearly. The guidelines presented in the 2020 update represent data collected through the 2018 growing season. We will be looking to add new data to the calculator following the 2020 growing season. 2. Phosphorus: The only change made to the phosphorus guidelines was the inclusion of a recommended strategy for use in a build-and-maintain approach. This approach aims to reduce the risk of soil test values increasing to a point where the risk of P loss increases. We realize that many growers are using a maintenance-based approach, and for owned ground there can be some positives for a maintenance-based approach. We recommend that you use a soil test range near the optimal soil test category an

Meeting the challenge of manure’s fixed nutrient content

By: Chryseis Modderman, Extension manure educator I’m sure all of us at some point in childhood were told, “You get what you get, and you don’t make a fit.” Oddly enough, these words also ring true for manure! Unlike commercial fertilizers that can be mixed and manipulated to give you the desired nutrient content, manure nutrient ratios are fixed. It is what it is and you get what you get. The fixed nutrient ratios of manure don’t always line up with the ratios that crops need, which means you’ll almost inevitably over- or under-apply some nutrients. Overapplication of a nutrient can lead to pollution, while underapplication can lead to nutrient deficiencies or the need to pay for additional commercial fertilizer. What can you do to meet this tricky challenge of manure? Nitrogen-based vs. phosphorus-based application rates I often hear “The agronomist told me to spread my turkey litter and then put on more nitrogen with commercial fertilizer. Why can’t I just put all my nitrogen on wi