Minnesota Crop News

Minnesota farmers using irrigation will soon have access to a major new conservation funding opportunity! The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), in partnership with local and regional organizations including 26 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and University of Minnesota Extension, has been awarded $11.16 million through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).  This five-year project will support improved irrigation efficiency, groundwater protection, and sustainable nitrogen management on irrigated farmland across 25 counties statewide, building on the success of a similar $3.5 million effort launched in 2021. The project will provide both financial and technical assistance to producers. It will focus on precision irrigation technologies, optimized irrigation water management, and improved nitrogen use efficiency, all while protecting groundwater quality and quantity. Funding will...

Jodi DeJong-Hughes, a University of Minnesota Extension educator in the Water Resources Center, was our guest in this Minnesota CropCast (#54) podcast. Jodi specializes in how tillage impacts crop yield and soil health and has developed expertise in soil compaction causes, prevention and remediation. During the podcast Jodi reviewed how soil compaction can occur any time a heavy piece of equipment moves across a field and which factors increase the probability of it occurring. Moving heavy equipment or tilling the soil when it is wet, for example, causes clay particles to slide against each other. This reduces the number and size of soil pores, which is the definition of compaction. Jodi emphasized that preventing soil compaction is the primary goal via practices like reducing axle loads, number of trips across the field, and adjusting tire pressure. Jodi also discussed different field-based practices/tillage options to alleviate soil compaction via mechanical remediatio...

The 18th annual Nutrient Management Conference is less than a week away, so be sure to register! Join us either in-person or online February 3rd, 2026 in Mankato, Minn. This program explores nutrient management, crop production and environmental stewardship. Current topics and new research in nutrient management will be relevant and informative for today's agricultural producers, professionals and anyone else who appreciates high-quality, research-based information. When: Tuesday, February 3, 2026 in Mankato, Minn. Cost: $20 Register:  Attend  in-person  or  virtually  (Lunch is included if you attend in-person.) Presentations: C, N, and P after subsurface installations - Lindsay Pease (University of Minnesota) Soil Harnessing biologicals: Foundational concepts for nutrient-efficient farming - Paulo Pagliari (University of Minnesota) Adding up the CI: fertility, tillage, and cover crops - Anna Cates (University of Minnesota) How much phosphorus do I really need...

Oat production in Minnesota is experiencing a modest renaissance. Just four years ago, oat acreage had declined to a record low, with only 77,000 acres harvested, according to NASS. This season, 165,000 acres were harvested for grain. Despite the rebound, current acreage remains small compared with historical levels, which peaked at roughly 5 million acres annually in the decade following World War II. The increase is being driven by a range of factors, including pet food manufacturers seeking alternatives to wheat or barley, growing concerns about groundwater quality, and producers looking for more profitable cropping options. The upcoming Small Grains Update meetings in eastern and southern Minnesota will place a strong emphasis on oat production and management, covering the crop from start to finish. Additional topics will include variety selection for spring wheat, winter wheat, and winter rye. Note that the meetings in Rochester and Slayton are part of a larger extension program t...

Today on the show we join a panel of 5 specialists, practitioners, Extension educators to discuss nitrates and water quality in southeast Minnesota. What is the current situation with nitrates and water quality in southeast Minnesota? Is the situation improving over time? What are some key factors affecting nitrate concentrations? What should growers in the region be thinking about in terms of nitrogen best management practices? What are some other ways that farmers in southeast Minnesota can help improve water quality? What else should we be thinking about related to N BMPs and nitrate water quality issues in southeast Minnesota? What resources (financial and otherwise) are available to farmers in southeast Minnesota? All this and much more today's Nutrient Management Podcast from University of Minnesota Extension. Video of this podcast will be posted to our YouTube channel at a later date.   Read the full transcript Guests: Mary Nesberg, Extension educator (Rochester) Daniel Kais...

By: Mary Nesberg, Extension educator Are you trying to remember the last time you screened your drinking water well for nitrates? The Minnesota Department of Health recommends screening for nitrates every year. There are several resources available for well users and farmers in southeast Minnesota to help improve water quality. Southeast Minnesota’s karst geology Residents of southeast Minnesota have many reasons to love this corner of the state — the rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and clear, spring-fed streams that define its landscape. These features exist because we live in a region shaped by karst geology, where water has carved pathways through limestone over thousands of years. It’s a landscape of beauty and complexity — but also one of vulnerability.   Image credit: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency In karst areas, fractures, sinkholes, and underground caves can allow water and pollutants to travel quickly from the surface into the groundwater below. That means contaminan...

In today’s episode of Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops, we were LIVE at the MN Ag Expo. The MN Ag Expo in Mankato, Minnesota is an annual event featuring commodity group business meetings, educational seminars and demonstrations, and a trade show. We had many guest speakers that were attending the Expo. Bob Lindeman, a Brownton farmer and Minnesota Soybean Growers Association (MSGA) governing board member was our first guest, and he talked about the MSGA, his farm, and some of the challenges facing Minnesota farmers. Second we had a visit from several Minnesota 4-H ambassadors. 4-H ambassadors are participating in the 4-H ambassador leadership program and are passionate about agriculture and educating others on agricultural topics. Up next, we had Dan Lemke, a familiar face and voice in Minnesota Agriculture. Dan is an ag weather specialist and reporter/producer for the Linder Farm Network. He talked about one of Minnesotan’s favorite subjects, the weather (turns out the up...

Hear the latest research findings and crop management recommendations at University of Minnesota Extension crops team events this winter. Whether you're looking for cutting-edge information for conventional or organic production or live and work in the southeastern corner of the state or the Red River Valley, we have something for you! Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops! Up-to-date, research based information and discussions on key issues facing commodity crop producers and ag professionals Online, Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00 a.m. through March 25 Advanced Crop Advisors Workshop Advanced workshop for agricultural professionals who advise farmers on crop production. January 27-28, Fargo, ND Nutrient Management Conference  Current topics in nutrient management and environmental stewardship February 3, Mankato, MN Small Grains Updates Workshops address management topics for successful small grain production Various dates and locations, February 16-20 Soil Compaction Conference  Dive ...

By: Eduardo Garay Lagos, On-farm research manager & outreach specialist There are several upcoming opportunities for Minnesota commercial manure haulers, applicators and site managers, to attend the Commercial Animal Waste Technician (CAWT) recertification workshops. Five in-person workshops and an online course will be offered in 2026. In-person workshops will take place in Sauk Centre (Jan. 28th), at Pork Congress in Mankato (Feb. 10th), in Hutchinson (Feb. 18th), in Slayton (Mar. 4th), and at FarmFest in Redwood County (August 6th). Online training will be available June 1st through October 31st, 2026. All training must be completed by November 1st in order to get CAWT recertification for licensure through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Cost: The registration fee is $20 for either in-person or online recertification training. For in person workshops, payment will be taken at the door by cash, credit card or check, payable to UMN Extension. Register:  z.umn.ed...

By Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, Northwest Research & Outreach Center, Crookston, MN and Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension educator, Water Resources Center, Willmar, MN Wheel compaction. Photo Jodi DeJong-Hughes January 7, 2026’s Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops session kicked off the start of this series of webinars for the year. Hosted by UMN Extension crops educator Angie Peltier, the program featured Jodi DeJong-Hughes, an UMN Extension educator that works for the Water Resources Center and specializes in the impact of tillage practices on crop yield and soil health. This webinar series runs through March.   To watch this episode visit: http://z.umn.edu/StrategicFarmingRecordings . Well-aggregated soils: key to productive crops Soil aggregates are sand, silt and clay soil particles and organic matter held together by dead and living soil microbes and the sugary compounds that roots exude into the soil. Surrounding these aggregates are pore spaces of vari...

By Tana Haugen-Brown, Extension Educator and Private Pesticide Applicator Program Manager, PSEE, and Sally Raymond, Extension Educator and Commercial/Noncommercial Pesticide Applicator Program Manager Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification A pesticide applicator in a tractor spraying a field. Photo source: Story Blocks If you have a private pesticide applicator certification that expires on March 1, 2026, you need to recertify by February 28 to keep it current. The private pesticide applicator certification is for individuals who use Restricted Use Pesticides on land or sites for the production of agricultural commodities. Unsure if you need recertification? You can check your certification status at: https://z.umn.edu/ppatcertlookup There are several options to recertify in 2026. The cost is $100, regardless of the option you choose, except for the online exam which is $120 ($100 for the course, plus an additional $20 Honorlock non-refundable fee). Option 1 - Attend a rec...

We return to first principles with a detailed discussion about nitrogen loss on today's  Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast . The five terms that describe how nitrogen is lost from the soil are: leaching, denitrification, volatilization, crop removal and soil erosion & runoff. But what do those terms actually mean? How does N's chemistry change during loss? Do N loss processes happen at the same speed? How do temperature and precipitation affect N loss pathways? How might farmers hedge against N loss by incorporating the 4Rs into their input planning? All of this discussion and much more on today's show. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Nitrogen Conference  (held annually in February; past videos are available online) Four things I’ve learned about nitrogen management for corn based on a decade of research in Minnesota Nitrogen Nuggets ...

Biostimulants—especially seed-applied biological products—continue to generate interest across soybean-growing regions. The promise is appealing: improved early vigor, stress tolerance, or yield, often layered on top of existing seed treatments. But do these products actually deliver under real-world farming conditions? A large, multi-state study led by Science for Success , a group of land-grant university soybean agronomists, set out to answer that question using an approach designed to mirror how farmers actually use these products. The study was published in the scientific journal Field Crops Research in December 2025. Seth Naeve, one of the study’s 28 co-authors and a University of Minnesota Extension soybean agronomist, describes the goal clearly: “We were really looking for which products worked in the most locations—and then trying to identify characteristics of environments products worked in—so that we could channel the use towards areas that would have a greater potential ...

Registration is now open for both the 2026 Nutrient Management Conference and the 2026 Nitrogen Conference! The Nutrient Management Conference  will take place in Mankato on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. The  Nitrogen Conference  will be in St. Cloud on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Both conferences will also be available online.  Nutrient Management Conference Tuesday,  February 3, 2026 in Mankato, Minn.  This program explores nutrient management, crop production and environmental stewardship. Current topics and new research in nutrient management will be relevant and informative for today's agricultural producers, professionals and anyone else who appreciates high-quality, research-based information. Cost:   $20 Register:  Attend in-person or virtually (Lunch is included if you attend in-person.) Presentations: C, N, and P after subsurface installations - Lindsay Pease (University of Minnesota) Soil Harnessing biologicals: Foundational concepts for...