Minnesota Crop News

A multitude of issues related to nitrates in water in southeast Minnesota have come to the forefront over the past few years. This has led to a reexamination of how nitrogen fertilizer and manure are managed in the region. University of Minnesota Extension will conduct a day long meeting in Rochester on March 13 for farmers and those involved in agriculture to discuss the current situation. Topics covered include: An update on the current regulatory and policy situation How nitrogen behaves in the environment and how it gets into water The dynamics of groundwater recharge in southeast Minnesota Best management practices for both commercial fertilizer and manure, based on local research On-farm nitrogen management research results in southeast Minnesota The day will conclude with a panel discussion of local farmers talking about how they manage nitrogen inputs on their farm. In addition to the presentations, several resource booths will be set up for one-on-one discussion regarding va...

Today we talk with four panelists throughout Minnesota about nutrient management and cover crops. What are some results of new research looking into incorporating covers into a nutrient management strategy? What are some of the specific rotations being measured, and why? What do farmers need to know about new manure management regulations and cover crops? How much of MN has incorporated covers? This and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston) Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Bailey Tangen, Extension educator (Farmington) Additional Resources: Land application of manure MPCA announces updated water permits now available to large feedlot operators Feedlot permits: What's new in 2025? Great Lakes Cover Crop Project — Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management i...

The first session in the Science for Success soybean webinar series is happening this Friday! Experts from across the country will discuss the necessary tools for overcoming weather challenges, from hurricanes to severe drought in this two-part, Soybean Resilience Blueprint webinar series.  February 28 : Climate Challenges in Soybean Production - This session will explore the impacts of changing weather on soybean production and offer actionable insights into overcoming these challenges. March 14 : Economic Insights for Uncertain Times -  This session will provide practical strategies to manage economic volatility in soybean farming. Both webinars are scheduled for 1PM EST | 12 PM CST. Each webinar will last approximately one hour and include a live Q&A session, allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers. Certified Crop Advisers can earn 1.0 CEU credit in Crop Management by attending the webinar. For questions, email ortmeierclarke@ncsu.edu . Regist...

By: Fabian Fernandez, Extension nitrogen management specialist Taking advantage of the cold days on which I prefer to stay inside, I am taking a few minutes to share four things I have learned over more than a decade of research on nitrogen management for corn in Minnesota. 1. Spring applications are better than fall applications. While there are logistical and practical reasons why nitrogen fertilizers are sometimes applied in the fall, it is important to recognize that those applications are seldom better than doing the same application (same rate, placement, and N source) in the spring. IN a 25-site-year study across Minnesota, encompassing corn-after corn and corn after soybean cropping systems and N rates with fall and spring applications of urea, I calculated that a spring application of urea reduced the amount of N needed to achieve the economic optimum N rate (EONR) by 28 pounds of N/acre and it produced 9 bushels/acre more grain than a fall application. Clearly, fall applicati...

Drs. Fei Yang, Extension corn entomologist, and Bob Koch, Extension soybean entomologist, are continuing a project to evaluate pests that feed on seeds and seedlings in corn and soybean fields in southern Minnesota. In areas with severe infestations, these pests can cause significant stand losses or even require replanting of fields. Despite these potential impacts, much remains unknown about these pests in Minnesota corn and soybean. This article serves as a request for additional cooperating farmers for 2025, and an update on results from 2024. Request for cooperating farmers for 2025 They are seeking cooperating farmers in southern Minnesota to allow their research team to sample corn and soybean fields from April to June 2025. They are especially interested in sampling corn and soybean fields with the following characteristics: have recently come out of pasture, CRP, etc., are no-till, are following cover crops, have high organic matter, and/or have not had insecticide seed treat...

By: Tim Gieseke, Extension educator, ag water management, Vasudha Sharma, Extension irrigation specialist, & Jackie Estrem, Extension educator Over the past few years, efficient agricultural irrigation has become a hot topic in Minnesota. In regions with sandy soils and limited precipitation, irrigation is a key component of production agriculture. Matching irrigation with crop water use has become more important to maintain profit and maximize the groundwater resources. An understanding of the plant-water-soil relationship, proper irrigation system maintenance, and use of irrigation scheduling are just some of the tools irrigators use for cost-effective crop production.  The University of Minnesota Extension is offering the Minnesota Irrigator Program (MIP) to provide you with the information you need to make irrigation decisions in 2025, and help improve your irrigation use efficiency. Programming will include a discussion of the basics of irrigation, irrigation systems, how ...

By Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, Garcia y Garcia, UMN Extension sustainable cropping systems specialist and Seth Naeve, UMN Extension soybean agronomist On February 19, 2025, Axel Garcia y Garcia, UMN Extension sustainable cropping systems specialist joined UMN Extension crops educator Liz Stahl for a discussion about how he is using crop modeling to help soybean and corn producers gain important insights into how to successfully incorporate a rye cover crop into their cropping system before their soybean crop. This was the seventh weekly episode of the 2025 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops! webinars. The series runs through March.   To watch this and other episodes: http://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings A 12-state effort to assist farmers Garcia y Garcia and Seth Naeve, UMN Extension soybean agronomist, are the Minnesota representatives of a much larger team of university-based agronomists and cover crops experts working together to gather data and develop...

Nitrogen continues to receive a lot of attention from farmers and the ag industry as a whole. Between high fertilizer prices experienced over the past few years, recent low commodity prices, and environmental issues, there is a lot to consider when making N management decisions. Building on the popular Nitrogen Smart foundational program, University of Minnesota Extension will host two free Nitrogen College events: March 5 - 6 at the Red Barron Arena in Marshall, and March 19-20 at University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center in Crookston. Both events will consist of the same five sessions over two days. Attendees can choose to attend any or all of them. The five sessions are: “A Deep Dive Into the 4 Rs” – Day 1, 9:00 a.m. This curriculum goes into detail about the different types of N fertilizer and how they are best managed. This session includes a detailed look into determining the best rate for a field in a specific year. “Adapting N Management to Climate” – Day 1...

Today we’re talking all about nitrogen-fixing biologicals. What's the best definition of a biological or biostimulant? Are they fertilizers, pesticides - or neither? In what ways do they interact with nitrogen in the field? Where and how are biological products tested? Which environmental factors might impact biologicals? How should they be properly transported and stored? How can farmers assess whether biostimulants might be right for their operation? All this and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: NCERA103.org Nitrogen-fixing biological products: Four Midwest experts weigh in on industry claims, on-farm research tips, and more Nitrogen-fixing biological products: New report summarizes research from across the Corn Belt "Fixation" in the soil: What you need to know   (article talks about fixation in t...

How widely distributed is the soybean gall midge (SGM) now? What are the latest developments in managing this pest? For answers to these and other questions, join Extension entomologists and their graduate students from three midwestern universities for a live webinar on February 27th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST .  Growers, crop consultants and scouts, educators, and industry representatives are encouraged to attend. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. Get the latest research-based updates on biology, ecology, and management:  Updates on SGM distribution and monitoring efforts Impact on soybean production Biology and ecology updates, including cold tolerance Latest in soybean host plant resistance Biological, chemical, and cultural control updates Certified Crop Advisors can earn two pest management (PM) CEUs by attending the live event.  Registration Registration is required. However, thanks to our generous sponsors, there is no fee to watch l...

Phyllis Bongard, Extension content development and communications specialist, Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist, Ed Usset, Grain marketing economist, and Adam Birr, Executive Director, Minnesota Corn Goldy Gopher corn maze, Joyer Adventure Farm, Lino Lakes, MN When prices are low, navigating the corn maize of input costs, marketing plans, and resources can be challenging. Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist, Ed Usset, Grain marketing economist, and Adam Birr, Executive Director of the Minnesota Corn joined moderator Dave Nicolai, Extension educator-crops, to discuss these issues in the February 12, 2025, session of Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops. View recordings of this and all Strategic Farming sessions at https://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings Fine-tuning input costs and production practices Where can input costs be trimmed without hurting yield? Which practices are most important for maximizing profitability? Weed management Weed management is not an area to c...

Phyllis Bongard, Extension content development and communications specialist, Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist, Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed specialist, and Eric Yu, Extension educator-crops As herbicide resistance continues to expand and challenge producers, using an integrated approach will help maintain herbicide effectiveness. Dr. Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist, Dr. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed specialist, and Dr. Eric Yu, Extension educator-crops, joined moderator Ryan Miller, Extension educator-crops, to discuss emerging and familiar weed management strategies in the February 5, 2025, session of Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops . View recordings of this and all Strategic Farming sessions at https://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings Setting the stage Status of waterhemp herbicide resistance Managing waterhemp is increasingly difficult as populations develop resistance to an expanded number of postemergence herbicides. How extensive is the issue?...

By Tana Haugen-Brown, Extension Educator and Private Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, PSEE Pesticide application. Photo source: StoryBlocks  Private pesticide applicators who need to renew a certification that ends on March 1, 2025, have to do so by the end of February to keep their certification from expiring. It’s not too late to register for a 2025 recertification workshop! In-person and Zoom recertification workshops end on February 28. Not sure if you need to recertify in 2025? Check the front of your applicator card or look up your license at the MDA’s website here . Advance registration is still available for the Sauk Centre, Jackson, Belle Plaine, Arlington, Braham, Lamberton, Worthington, Olivia, Foley, and Farmington, as well as two Zoom recertification workshop options. Remember, advance registration closes three days before a workshop, so sign up now ! Walk-in registration is also welcome at all in-person recertification workshops. Be sure to have a photo ID, your ...

The 17th annual Nutrient Management Conference will be held in St. Cloud, Minn. on Tuesday, February 18. For the first time, the conference will focus entirely on one nutrient: phosphorus. "There is a lot of research on phosphorus being conducted in Minnesota and across the Midwest, so we thought that this year it would be an ideal time to dive deep into this nutrient and hear about all the great research that is being done with this nutrient," said Fabian Fernandez, U of M Extension nutrient management specialist and co-organizer of the event along with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center. The conference will be available in-person in St. Cloud (lunch included) or online. The cost to attend is $20. Register now: in-person or online The conference is divided into three parts: P fertilizer sources and soil testing, recent P studies from across the Midwest, and P research in Minnesota. There will be a farmer panel and presentations from experts from around the co...

Today we’re talking all about variable rate nitrogen. What underlying information do we need to make decisions about VRN? What areas in the field might be prone to N loss? Should you only add extra N to high-yielding areas, or could a low-yielding zone also show positive responses? What effect could your overall management strategy have on a variable rate response? All this and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Variable rate nitrogen and nitrogen advisory tools: Do they work? Nitrogen Smart Understanding nitrogen in soils --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient...

United States map of soil colors at a depth of 25cm (credit: NRCS) A new nationwide project called “Probing Our Country’s Soil Health” has launched, and Minnesota farmers are now able to participate. The project centers around improving a tool called the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (or SHAPE). “One of our nation's greatest resources is our soils,” said Fabian Fernandez, University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist, who is co-leading the project in Minnesota. “The more we know about our soils, the better we can manage them.” SHAPE is an online tool designed to interpret soil health measurements, monitor soil health change, and offer management practice alternatives for improving soil health. The goal of the project is to collect 13,000 soil samples across the U.S. (~6,000 fields) from different soil, climate, and management conditions. The SHAPE tool will be available as a free web-based app for easy soil health scoring. Minnesota farmer parti...

By Naworaj Acharya, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Reviewed by Sally Raymond, Extension Educator and Commercial/Noncommercial Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, and Tana Haugen-Brown, Extension Educator and Private Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, PSEE. On February 6, 2024, the U.S. District Court of Arizona vacated the federal registrations of three over-the-top (OTT) dicamba products, XtendiMax® (EPA Reg. No. 264-1210), Engenia® (EPA Reg. No. 7969-472), and Tavium® (EPA Reg. No. 100-1623). These products were previously registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for over-the-top (OTT) use on dicamba-tolerant (DT) soybeans and cotton. The court decision makes it illegal to sell, distribute, or use these products in the United States for the 2025 growing season. As a result of the court decision, XtendiMax®, Engenia®, and Tavium® products are no longer registered for use in Minnesota in 2025. Minnesota's Pesticide Control Law prohibits the sale, distr...