Minnesota Crop News

 Craig Shaeffer, Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, Krishona Martinson, Extension equine specialist, and Jared Goplen, Extension educator-crops Weeds generally compete with crops for water, light, and nutrient resources, and may affect human and animal health. While the goal of harvesting forages usually includes minimal weed infestations, weeds can provide valuable forage during a drought. Key Points Weeds can provide nutrients and contribute to the needs of some livestock. Proper weed ID is essential to ensure weeds are not toxic to livestock. Weeds may also have antiquality traits, including plant chemicals, thorns, or plant hairs that affect palatability. Nitrates can accumulate in drought stressed weeds. Forages suspected of being high in nitrates should be tested before feeding. Before feeding forages containing weeds, test to determine nutritive value to allow adjustment of the ration. Weedy forage should be introduced slowly to livestock rations to allow ...

Bruce Potter, IPM specialist, Bob Koch, Extension entomologist and Ken Ostlie, Extension entomologist Lower leaf loss on plants severely infested with two-spotted spider mites. The hot, dry growing season has led to infestations of two-spotted spider mites in many areas of Minnesota. Over the past two weeks, increasing numbers of fields with economic infestations have been observed. Most, but not all, have been in areas with obvious drought stress. Soybeans appear to have the heavier infestations although spider mites also be found in corn and other crops. Close-up of two-spotted spider mites and eggs. Two-spotted spider mite populations are typically kept in check by predators, fungal disease, and adequate moisture. Warm, dry weather and moisture stress of the crop favor mite reproduction. When conditions are favorable for the mites, their rapid life cycle and high reproductive rates can quickly create large populations and damage crops. Other factors may accentuate mite populations, ...

 Craig Sheaffer, Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, Krishona Martinson, Extension equine specialist, and Jared Goplen, Extension educator-crops. Figure 1. An alfalfa field seeded in early May with an oat companion crop. Forage was cut and baled in mid-July. The green vegetation in the field is lambsquarters and regrowth from the oats, whereas the alfalfa has failed to establish (Photo taken late July). The drought in many regions of Minnesota caused significant problems with alfalfa establishment this spring (Figures 1 & 2). Although periodic rainfall has occurred, most of the state continues under moderate to severe drought ( https://www.drought.gov/states/minnesota ).  On some farms, alfalfa seeds germinated this spring but failed to thrive due to limited moisture. This has resulted in thin or uneven stands in many fields.  In some cases, areas of fields with heavier soils produced partial alfalfa stands while lighter, sandy soils have no alfalfa....

An all-new weekly crops program from the University of Minnesota Extension Crops Team Listen to a recording of our July 14, 2021 Field Notes webinar featuring Dr. Dan Kaiser, University of Minnesota Extension soil fertility specialist and Brad Carlson, University of Minnesota Extension educator - water resources, for a midsummer crop fertility checkup: tissue testing and nitrogen needs.  Listen to the episode This summer, many growers have experienced weather challenges due to below normal precipitation and warmer than average air temperatures. Our University of Minnesota Extension staff discuss the proper use of diagnostic tools such as crop tissue testing and nitrogen models to provide a checkup to crop growth and nutrient needs in Minnesota given the variable weather and soil moisture conditions. What is Field Notes? The Field Notes program is designed for farmers and agricultural professionals as a weekly webinar program addressing all your crop-related questions in real-time ...