Minnesota Crop News

  Welcome to the 5th 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 Dr. Anthony Hanson , co-host of this podcast who was recently hired as an Extension Educator for Field Crops IPM through University of Minnesota Extension. Dr. Hanson recently began his new position as a Regional Extension Educator based out of Morris, MN. He coordinates fields crops IPM related programming across Minnesota with researchers and other educators for issues such as diseases, insects, and weeds. He grew up farming near Brooten in west-central Minnesota raising corn, soybean, alfalfa, and beef cattle, and he previously worked in the Department of Entomology where he received his Master's and PhD. To wrap up 2020, Dr. Hanson talked about IPM as a toolbox that all farmers and agricultural scientists

By: Brad Carlson, Extension educator Historically, when fertilizer prices were low, and environmental concerns were on the back burner, a high nitrogen fertilizer rate was used as a cheap insurance policy to ensure sufficient N availability during the growing season. Over the last several years, water quality issues have risen to the forefront of farmers’ concerns when making management decisions. What needs to be kept in mind is that rate is only one of the four Rs ( Minnesota’s nitrogen best management practices ), and fertilizer type, application timing and placement can be just as, if not more, important. A better understanding of how nitrogen behaves in the environment has led many Minnesota farmers to make significant changes to their application practices. The 4 R approach has caused many to consider all aspects of what, where, when, and how much N to apply. To match this, many fertilizer dealers have greatly increased their capacity for fertilizer application during a wide

by Dave Nicolai, Institute for Ag Professionals program coordinator The 2021 Research Update sessions are scheduled virtually for three sessions: Southern MN: Waseca, Rochester and Lamberton locations programming emphasis (Jan 5th), Northern MN: Crookston location programming emphasis (Jan 7th) & Central MN: Willmar and Morris locations programming emphasis (Jan 12th) from 9:00 am–3:30 pm for each of the three sessions. The program will feature research-based strategies to deal with today's changing pests, diseases, varieties, nutrient and environmental recommendations. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for Certified Crop Advisors have been applied for, including: 1 in Nutrient Management, 2.5 in Pest Management, 1.5 in Crop Management at the Southern & Central MN sessions (January 5th and 12th). The Northern MN session (January 7th) includes: 1 in Crop Management, 0.5 in Nutrient Management, 0.5 in Soil & Water and 3 in Pest Management. This week's featured prese

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Building soil tests to “optimal” levels and then maintaining “optimal” soil test values is a popular practice to ensure high crop yield. Maintenance-based fertilization strategies typically involve calculating the amount of nutrient removal by the crop and then applying a rate of fertilizer sufficient to replace what was removed by the crop, keeping soil test values near the “optimal” soil test for a given nutrient. The primary challenge of a build-and-maintain strategy is figuring out what your “optimal” soil test level is and the amount of fertilizer required to maintain soil test values at that level. What is considered to be an “optimal” soil test can vary based on a producer’s attitude towards risk and land tenure, so decisions may change from one field to the next. Research has shown that application of the exact amount of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) removed in a given year tends to increase, not maintain, soil test P

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, three U of M researchers talk about nutrient interactions. What are nutrient interactions and how important are they to crops? Which nutrient interactions are of concern to crop producers? What can you do to avoid misinterpreting plant tissue analysis results due to nutrient interactions? Listen to the podcast View the podcast transcript Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist Jeff Vetsch, U of M soil science researcher  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).

Extension manure management specialist Melissa Wilson has been busy with several research projects in 2020. Yet she also found time to create three ArcGIS StoryMaps to help Minnesota farmers and ag professionals learn about her research. Wilson uses photos, videos, maps and other visuals to show how her plots are set up, the equipment she uses, and what her ongoing study results mean. Her first StoryMap covers her project sidedressing swine manure into corn . Being able to sidedress swine manure into corn could open up the window of opportunity to apply manure in Minnesota. In past years, Wilson’s team studied a dragline hose system. In 2020, they began assessing a tanker system. Wilson’s second StoryMap dives into her research on cover crops and manure for soil health . This study looks at whether cover crops and fall liquid manure application can improve soil health and protect water quality.  Her third StoryMap is on her study on dairy manure in a sugarbeet rotation . This proje

 Join Extension entomologists from four regional universities to learn more about soybean gall midge, a new soybean pest.  Join our live, three-part Midwest discussion series to hear research-based updates from the experts. This virtual program will feature several short presentations during each session with plenty of time for questions and discussion.  CCA credits are available in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota (1 credit per session). If you can't attend in person, no worries. The sessions will be recorded and you can watch anytime it fits your schedule. Dates and topics January 5: Soybean gall midge identification, distribution and look-alikes Is it soybean gall midge or not? There are several look-alikes that make identification of this insect challenging. Learn how to identify soybean gall midge -or how not to misidentify this insect - and see its distribution in our Midwest region. January 12: Soybean gall midge ecology and plant injury Learn more about this inse

In this short video, Extension manure management specialist Melissa Wilson gives an update on her manure sidedressing research project. Wilson is testing whether sidedressing liquid swine manure into standing corn is a viable practice in Minnesota. This could open up the window of opportunity for applying manure. In previous years, she studied a liquid dragline hose system. This previous video covers Wilson’s research on that system. The above video dives into her new project using a tanker, which began in 2020. Follow this project and stay up-to-date on other manure research and recommendations on Twitter at @UMNmanure and @ManureProf .  --- 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 Research & Education Council (AF

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have officially published the 2020 Field Crop Trials. Visit https://z.umn.edu/2020croptrials to see variety trials for all the crops. Follow these links to find the alfalfa , corn silage , barley , corn grain , oat , spring wheat , winter rye , winter wheat and soybean trials directly. Due to severe water damage in the field, the UMN will not be providing Canola field crop trials data for the 2020 season. Please refer to previous years trials for recommendations which you will find at canola . About the Crop Variety Trials When farmers are ready to make seed choices, the University of Minnesota field crop trials offer unbiased and trustworthy information. The annual Field Crop Trials are one of the keyways MAES works to bring valuable research into the hands of farmers and ultimately help improve farm profitability, improve the economy and overall quality

If you apply pesticides on your employer's or customer's land or sites and need to recertify for Categories A and C in 2020, this workshop is for you. Join us for the LAST CHANCE 2020 recertification training offered only on December 11, 2020 from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registration fee is $145 per person. Click on the registration button in the link below to register for this live, remote event. The registration deadline is Tuesday, December 8, 2020 at 5pm. https://extension.umn.edu/pesticide-safety-and-certification/commercial-noncommercial-pesticide-applicators How it works Workshop check in is at 7:45 a.m. This is a live-remote Zoom Workshop. In order to participate and receive recertification credits, you must have the following: An internet-capable device such as a laptop, desktop or tablet with a camera and microphone. A valid email address. Your pesticide applicator license.  To receive credit, you must be present throughout the full Zoom program and remain connected

 by Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist Hybrid selection is one of the most important factors affecting corn yield and profitability. In trials where many corn hybrids are compared, it is common for grain yield to vary by 30 to 50 bushels per acre or more among hybrids.  Seed costs should also be considered when selecting corn hybrids, as several hybrids often produce yields that are among the highest in a trial. Additionally, it is important to stay current with corn hybrid selection, as the rate of genetic yield improvement by year of hybrid commercial release is nearly 2 bushels per acre. Hybrid trial results To select corn hybrids, consider trial results from many reputable sources including universities, grower associations, cooperative elevators, technical colleges, farmer groups, and seed companies. Trials that have all hybrids replicated at least two or three times and compare hybrids from multiple companies are of particular value. Select hybrids that consistently perform

 In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, three U of M researchers discuss nutrient interactions. What are nutrient interactions and how important are they to crops? Which nutrient interactions are of concern to crop producers? What can you do to avoid misinterpreting plant tissue analysis results due to nutrient interactions? Thank you to Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) for supporting the podcast.