Minnesota Crop News

 Taylor Herbert, Extension educator With the warm weather and intermittent rain, alfalfa fields are greening up nicely and it won’t be too long before we are thinking about the first cut of hay. This also means we are getting ready to take alfalfa scissor cut samples for the Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program.  This program helps forage producers make a decision on the first cut of alfalfa to optimize forage yield and quality. This project is in its 29th year and is a collaboration between the Central Minnesota Forage Council and University of Minnesota Extension with support from area agribusiness sponsors and the farmer collaborators. This year, samples will continue to be collected and forage quality results reported from fields in Stearns, Benton, Morrison, Wright, McLeod, Sibley, Nicollet, and Carver counties. Last year, alfalfa sample collection started on May 9th and ended on May 28th with a delayed harvest due to wet conditions. As in past years, sampling will begin when al...

Sithin Mathew, Weed science graduate student, Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed scientist, and Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist and weed scientist Using pre-emergence herbicides is a great way to stay ahead of weeds in corn and soybean production, but there is more to it than simply picking the right herbicide or spraying at correct time. How well these herbicides perform is dependent on your soil and how you farm.  Factors including soil type, moisture conditions, and soil organic matter content can affect herbicide performance. For example, sandy soils often require a lower herbicide rate than heavy clay or soils with lots of organic matter. Moisture is also key—most pre-emerge herbicides need about half an inch to an inch of rain (or irrigation) within 10 days after spraying to activate and work properly. Soil temperature matters too. Keeping an eye on it can help you determine the best application timing. Don’t forget to follow the label instructions —some of ...

Seth Naeve, Extension soybean agronomist, David Nicolai, Extension educator, and Kristina Cibuzar, Evaluation specialist The University of Minnesota Extension generates timely and important research-based information to support your farming operation, but we understand that we may not always reach you when you need agronomic information the most. Therefore, with the support of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council we would like to know how we can best serve you. Technology and communications have evolved radically over the past five years. But as more information becomes immediately accessible, our time to search for information seems to dwindle. We understand that people consume information that comes to them from a range of pathways and individuals appreciate different types of communication strategies. We want to know how you receive your agronomic information so that we can better support information channels that are useful for you. We are asking all Minnesota ...

By Robert Koch (Professor and Extension Entomologist) and Arthur Ribeiro (Researcher) We recently secured funding from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to evaluate the potential threat of soybean gall midge ( Resseliella maxima ) to production of dry beans and other pulse crops. For part of this project, we’d like to determine the geographic extent and severity of infestations in fields of dry bean and other pulse crops in Minnesota. Therefore, this summer, if growers or their advisors/consultants suspect infestation of soybean gall midge in their fields, please contact us. Then, we'll send staff to thoroughly scout the field to determine if the suspect infestation is truly soybean gall midge and to quantify the severity of the infestation. Image: Soybean gall midge infestation in a soybean stem. Soybean gall midge is a challenging new agricultural pest reported from seven Midwest states . In soybean, larvae of the soybean gall midge feed inside the stems at the base of plan...

Cation exchange capacity and cation balancing are the topics of the day in this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast . What are the definitions of cation exchange capacity (CEC) and cation balancing (CB)? How is CEC measured and are those estimates reliable? What does the research say about CEC and CB and their role in a nutrient management strategy? What should farmers remember about cation exchange capacity and cation balancing for their own operations? TRANSCRIPT Guests: Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional Resources: Timing of K application for corn and soybean production Chloride and soybean: What to know about potash fertilizer management Impact of cation exchange on corn K guidelines Four soil test myths that farmers should know Corn planting and nitrogen management: 5 things to con...

In this week’s CropCast, Dr. Seth Naeve, Extension soybean specialist, and David Nicolai, Extension crops educator, welcomed University of Minnesota and North Dakota State Extension Specialists; Drs. Jeff Coulter and Tom Peters. Dr. Jeff Coulter is an Extension corn specialist and Dr. Tom Peters is an Extension weed specialist in sugar beets.  The three state specialists discussed optimum planting criteria for growers to consider when planting their 2025 corn, soybean and sugarbeet seed inputs. They reviewed specific guidelines regarding the most favorable planting depths, planting dates, planting rates and soil temperature for these Minnesota crops. They covered the practices to ensure good seed-to-soil contact based on optimal soil moisture conditions when soils are deemed “in good, dry conditions” as influenced not just by soil temperatures but also by variety maturity and calendar dates as we move in the last half of April. They also discussed whether to plant longer- or shorte...

By: Brad Carlson, Extension educator Last year around this time I wrote a blog post that detailed the long track record in Minnesota of the most profitable crop producers spending significantly less on fertilizer than the least profitable growers. The recently released FINBIN data for 2024 show that this trend is continuing. In 2024, the 20% most profitable farms spent an average of $170 per acre on fertilizer while the 20% least profitable farms spent $224. This is a 31% difference, and very similar to the 33% I reported from 2023. This difference is especially notable given the current challenging ag economy. The FINBIN data also showed the lowest median net farm income for Minnesota crop producers in the last 30 years (just under $22,000 in 2024). My article last year detailed some of the possible explanations for the difference. One of these was applying too high of a fertilizer rate, and another was applying fertilizer more times than necessary (split-applying) . A recent tr...

Jochum Wiersma, Extension small grains specialist That's the question that was posed several times last week as it became evident that the green-up of winter wheat and rye fields was spotty. Determining how stands faired through the winter and are good enough to leave is the most difficult decision to make with winter cereals. The simple reason for this is that winterkill is rarely uniform across a field and adjacent plants do not all green up at the same pace. Observations in the winter wheat, winter triticale, and winter rye trials in Becker and LeCenter confirmed that there is substantial winterkill in all three species this year. There is winterkill among the hybrid winter rye varieties in the trials - something not previously observed in Minnesota. The recorded minimum temperatures during the cold outbreak of January 17 through 21st may have felt cold to us but were not extreme by any measure. The soil temperatures at the crown depth during that cold snap never dropped bel...

By Tana Haugen-Brown, Extension educator, UMN Extension Pesticide Safety and Environmental Education, Sally Raymond, Extension educator, UMN Extension Pesticide Safety and Environmental Education, and the MDA Pesticide Licensing and Certification Unit Example of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone. Photo: Tana Haugen-Brown Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are changing how pesticide applicators work in field crops. Using UAVs for pesticide spraying allows applicators to make more precise applications and reduce input costs. However, before you can use a UAV for pesticide application, you’ll need to meet several important license or certification related requirements. Here’s what you need to know. Step 1: Determine the right pesticide licenses or certifications Private Pesticide Applicators For Private Pesticide Applicators planning to use a UAV for restricted-use pesticides (RUPs) applications in Minnesota, a General Aerial Endorsement (Category B - Genera...

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist Recent posts on social media brought to mind a few things related to what happens to phosphorus (P) fertilizer when it’s applied to soil. With MAP and DAP prices still relatively high, what concerns, if any, should farmers have about how much value they are getting? Here are a few things that you should know about what happens to P when it is applied to the soil. 1. You will never get 100% utilization of the fertilizer you apply the first year after application. Us university types will typically tell you that, at maximum, you might get about 65% of what you apply taken up by the plant in the first year of application. While this might cause some concern about where the other 35% is going, remember that the plant needs a specific amount P to achieve optimal yield. If fertilizer supplies 50% of the crop’s needs for example, then the deficit needs to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the soil. Where did the P in the soil c...

Dr. Fei Yang – Extension Corn Entomologist, University of Minnesota Department of Entomology, and  Bruce Potter – Potter Brothers, LLC and University of Minnesota Extension retired Early (2nd) instar black cutworm and its leaf feeding on 1-leaf corn. Photo: Bruce Potter Again in 2025, the University of Minnesota Black Cutworm Cooperative Trapping Program will track the migration of black cutworm and armyworm moths into Minnesota. This project is funded by Minnesota farm families and their checkoff dollars. University and industry cooperators check their pheromone traps each day. Their trap captures help us determine the timing and relative size of moth arrivals into Minnesota. These data are helpful in identifying the timing and location of moth migrations that might threaten corn and other crops. Trap data and degree-days for larval development are analyzed each week.  Alerts will be posted here on Crop News. Issue #1 can be found at: https://swroc.cfans.umn.edu/bcw-2025-01 ...

Join us for the launch of the 2025 season of University of Minnesota Extension's Strategic Farming: Field Notes! The online series begins May 7 this year with discussion about planting tips and tricks with Matt Pfarr as well as corn agronomy updates with Dr. Jeff Coulter and continues throughout the growing season on Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 a.m.  Crop producers and agricultural professionals face a host of challenges, including pest issues, agronomic concerns, and soil fertility questions. The U of MN Extension Strategic Farming program addresses your crop-related concerns through information-packed, research-based, informal discussions with specialists in the field.  Strategic Farming: Field Notes features live weekly online interactive discussions on cropping issues as they arise throughout the growing season.  The 2025 season kicks-off Wednesday, May 7, and will continue through August on Wednesday mornings from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Topics will be announced each we...