Minnesota Crop News

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Applying urea fertilizer in the fall is a popular practice for Minnesota sugarbeet growers to provide nitrogen (N) to the following year’s crop. However, recent research for corn in Minnesota shows a significant yield hit for fall-applied urea compared to spring application. Could the same be true for sugarbeet? That’s the focus of a three-year study funded by the Sugarbeet Research and Education Board of Minnesota and North Dakota. We established two trials, one in the northern sugarbeet growing region of Minnesota (Crookston) and one in the state’s southern sugarbeet growing region (Hector). We’re looking at sugarbeet root yield and quality responses to various rates and sources of urea applied in late fall versus pre-plant in the spring. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of fall urea application and to see if any commercial inhibitors or polymer-coated urea blends differ in the amount of N supplied to the c...

By Angie Peltier, Extension crops educator, and Phyllis Bongard, Extension educational content development and communications specialist Corn silage. Photo: University of Wisconsin- Madison Extension It should be a surprise to none that drought dominated conversation topics during the 2021 growing season. As dairy or beef cattle producers struggled to source enough feed to support their herds, using  corn crops initially planned for grain harvest for livestock feed instead was not an uncommon phenomenon. While there are similarities in how best to produce corn for grain or silage, there are also important differences that may influence crop management during the 2022 growing season. On January 19, 2022, Drs. Joe Lauer, University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison corn agronomist, and Luiz Ferraretto, UW-Madison ruminant nutritionist, joined UMN Extension educators for a wide-ranging discussion of how best to manage corn harvested as grain or silage crops....

Bruce Potter, Extension IPM Specialist; Ken Ostlie, Bill Hutchison, Extension Entomologists; Angie Peltier & Anthony Hanson, Extension Educators Overwintering European corn borer larva and its feeding damage within the lower stalk. While stalk breakage or ear drop are readily visible, the extent of tunneling and physiological yield loss can be seen only after the stalk is split. Photo: Bruce Potter, University of Minnesota. The economics of corn production challenge many farmers to minimize production costs. Hybrid selection is one way to reduce costs. Planting corn hybrids without Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins for protection against European corn borer (ECB), corn rootworm, or both will reduce seed costs. However, if not careful, farmers could inadvertently reduce crop revenues if they select hybrids without considering yield potential or insect populations in their fields. Yield potential is the first thing to consider when selecting a corn hybrid. Bt traits protect the y...

Minnesota — along with Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio — uses the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) approach to corn N rate guidelines. In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we discuss the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) approach to corn N rate guidelines. What is the MRTN and why was this system implemented?  What are the pros and cons of the MRTN approach and how is it performing?  What should corn growers know about alternative approaches to the MRTN?  Will there be any changes made to the MRTN approach in the future? Listen to the podcast View the podcast transcript Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension soil fertility specialist Fabian Fernandez, Extension soil fertility specialist Jeff Vetsch, U of M SROC researcher Brad Carlson, Extension educator  Additional resources: Corn nitrogen rate calculator High nitrogen fertilizer costs: What should corn growers be thinking about? Corn fertilizer guidelines Nutrient Management Confer...

by Angie Peltier, Extension educator - crops Nothing reveals soil compaction better than crops grown during a historic drought, as Minnesota experienced throughout the 2021 growing season.   During periods of drought or excessive soil moisture when plants are under stress, compacted soil adds an additional source of plant stress.  Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension water quality educator and Aaron Daigh, associate professor of soil physics and hydrology with the Department of Soil Science at North Dakota State University, joined UMN Extension educator Angie Peltier for a wide-ranging discussion of how compaction happens, how to avoid compacting soil in the future and how to remediate compaction that has already occurred. This was the second of the 2022 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops! webinars in this series. Watch a recording of this webinar:  Strategic Farming 2022: Let's talk soil compaction How compaction happens Soil is largely made up of sand, silt and clay...

 by Phyllis Bongard, Educational content development and communications specialist Soil sampling for the PSNT test. With high fertilizer prices following the 2021 drought, you may be looking to adjust your nutrient management for the 2022 crop. Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist, and Brad Carlson, Extension educator – water quality, joined Extension Educator Ryan Miller for a wide-ranging discussion in the launch of the 2022 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops! webinar series.  Watch a video recording of the webinar below, and check out some highlights with links below the video. Nitrogen adjustments Capturing residual nitrate Historically, nitrate concentrations in surface water can spike following a drought. While an environmental concern, it also indicates that residual nitrate is still in the soil profile. In light of the high fertilizer prices, you may have the ability to utilize that residual nitrate as part of your total fertility package going into ...