Minnesota CropCast: Headland Highlights Late April Field Report from NW, WC, and SC Minnesota

 

In Episode #67 of MN CropCast, we bring you another "Headland Highlights" to get you up to speed on planting progress across the state. The hosts sat down with three Extension Educators (Angie Peltier, Anthony Hanson and Matt Pfarr) on April 30 to discuss how farmers are navigating the spring of 2026 in their respective regions.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Northwest Minnesota: Angie Peltier describes the challenges facing northern farmers. While the central Red River Valley and areas further south are off to a strong start, progress north of Fargo-Moorhead remains slow. Heavy snowpack and recent rains have stalled field work in Polk County and the surrounding region. In the far Northwest, only 10–15% of wheat and sugar beets are in the ground, with a significant push expected over the next two weeks.

• West Central Minnesota: Anthony Hanson highlights the impact of varying soil types. While corn and soybeans were planted on lighter soils during the final weeks of April, the heavier soils around Morris still require more heat and sun before they are fit for planting.

• South Central Minnesota: Matt Pfarr notes that there have been several productive windows for planting corn and soybeans. Field activity was extremely heavy during the third week of April, though some fields were tucked away even earlier. Following rain this past weekend, farmers are returning to the fields to wrap up most planting by the end of April, with the remaining soybeans expected to go in by the first week of May. Matt also discusses the challenges of planting in marginal conditions and managing residue that isn't yet dry and crispy.

If you’re interested in what’s happening in Minnesota fields, be sure to tune in to Episode #67 of Minnesota CropCast: Headland Highlights today!

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What is Minnesota CropCast?

Hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve discuss the progress and challenges of Minnesota's agronomic crops in this podcast. They are joined by a diversity of specialists representing all crops and agronomic disciplines to discuss their research and its impact on future Minnesota crops. Dave Nicolai is a crops Extension educator and Seth Naeve is the Extension soybean agronomist.

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