Minnesota Crop News

Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator and Meg Moynihan, Minnesota dairy farmer and Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s ‘farm stress’ lady The following information was provided during the July 8, 2026 Strategic Farming: Field Notes session. Use your preferred podcasting platform or listen online to a podcast of this Field Notes session. Times are tough: unique stressors on farms Farming is a uniquely stressful profession. Fewer peers as each decade passes, high input prices, lower commodity prices, inflation and tariff impacts on costs of living, and weather and trade uncertainty have combined over the last couple of years to increase the stress among those working in this already stressful line of business. Some of the physical signs of stress can include changes in appetite or weight, stomach/GI problems, poor sleep, teeth grinding, chest pain/palpitations, and changes in grooming habits. Folks living through a very stressful period can also show behavioral signs of stress...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension We're examining the effect of recent heavy rainfall on input decision-making in today's  Nutrient Management Podcast . What adverse or severe weather conditions did parts of Minnesota recently experience? How does it compare to past events? It's currently mid-July; what did the Minnesota Drought Monitor say about our drought levels before the rainfall? Was the soil profile able to accept more water as a result? What effect did the heavy rain have on nutrients in the field? At this point in the season, are corn crops past the risk of damage? What effect do soil types have on both the amount of N recommended, and the speed at which the N can potentially leave the field? All this and more on today's episode. Read the full transcript Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Additional Resources: Minnesota Drought Mo...

By:  Dr. Yucheng Wang, University of Minnesota, Postdoc Researcher, and Dr. Fei Yang, University of Minnesota, Extension corn entomologist

 Join us Wednesday, July 15th  for the weekly summer Field Notes webinar when we welcome Jeff Coulter , Extension Corn Agronomist, and Brad Carlson , Extension Educator focused on nutrient management, to discuss corn development and late-season nitrogen use. If you aren't registered for these free webinars, visit: z.umn.edu/FN2026. Corn and nutrient management will be the focus of the the July 15, 2026 session of Field Notes. What is Field Notes? 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. You can also ask questions directly to Extension faculty and staff during this program. Strategic Farming: Field Notes features live weekly online interactive discussions on cropping issues as they arise throughou...

Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM CDT You’ve done what you can all year to set your soybeans up for success, but the season isn’t over yet. Science for Success is excited to announce our 2026 national webinar, Soybeans Down the Stretch: Managing Late-Season Challenges. In this webinar, an expert panel of researchers from across the U.S. will address management strategies for late-season challenges, providing you with the knowledge and tools to address issues as they arise as you head into harvest. We will also get updates on recent national collaborative research trials on desiccation and harvest timing. Expert Panel       Rachel Vann, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Moderator      Justin Calhoun, Mississippi State University      Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota      Christy Sprague, Michigan State University Research Updates      Mark Kendall, University of Wisconsin–Madison ...

The blast furnace that was the weather for the past few days, the variability in precipitation received in the preceding week or weeks, and the immediate forecast all point to shorter leaf wetness durations.  This, in turn, means less risk of FHB infections for the remaining spring wheat acres that have not reached anthesis yet. Meanwhile, Bacterial Leaf Streak (BLS) is thriving in these windy, humid conditions and can be found across the region. Leaf rust has been found at extremely low levels in a few spots in the Red River Valley, while a few FHB infections were found in the winter wheat variety trials on the Northwest Research & Outreach Center.  It will be a difficult decision whether to spray a fungicide to suppress FHB if drought stress becomes more evident in your fields with each passing day.    Therefore, the advice this week is as follows: Spring Wheat -  Apply a fungicide at Feekes 10.51 (beginning of anthesis) if you find either tan spot, Septor...

      Field School planting started with soybeans on April 13  By: Matt Pfarr, Extension educator-crops and Dave Nicolai, Extension educator-crops The 2026 Field School for Ag Professionals will be held July 29 and 30 at the University of Minnesota Agriculture Experiment Station in St. Paul. This two-day event is the premier summer training opportunity that combines hands-on, interactive training with real world field scenarios.  Register today  and lock in your sport  as class sizes will be capped to provide instructor access. The first day of the Field School program focuses on core principles in agronomy, entomology, weed and soil sciences to build a strong foundation of skills and knowledge. The second day builds on this foundation with timely, cutting-edge topics that participants can select. This program is targeted toward agronomists, crop production retailers, seed dealers, consultants, crop protection industry representatives, Extension educat...

The FHB risk models responded as expected, and the risk for FHB infections, depending on the variety's susceptibility to FHB,  increased from low to moderate risk towards moderate to high risk. This week's dew points are forecasted to remain high for a couple more days across much of the state. That means hot and muggy conditions during the day, and higher nighttime temperatures at night.  Consequently, the risk of FHB infections will remain moderate to high depending on the variety's FHB rating.   Note that the national model indicates a high risk for a greater percentage of the state when compared to the NDSU FHB risk model output for individual  NDAWN/MAWN stations.  This is an artifact of the weather data used in each model.  The NDAWN/MAWN stations used the weather data collected at that station, while the national model uses interpolations of weather data collected from National Weather Service (NWS) weather stations and the NWS weather forecast ...

 By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator - Crops

Clockwise from upper left: oat, seeds, wintermax mixture, winter rye, alfalfa Nitrate reduction with perennial plants is the topic on today's  Advancing Nitrogen Smart  podcast. What are some pros and cons of covers like rye, oat and alfalfa for reducing nitrate? How do they compare in terms of biomass or establishment? What sets alfalfa apart as a cover crop candidate? How does our Minnesota climate affect a strategy for perennials? How could cover crop benefits stack up when used in conjunction with a dairy operation for example? Do some areas of the landscape benefit from perennials more than others? All this and more on the 38th episode of Advancing Nitrogen Smart . Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Cover Crops Best management for cover crops in unfavorable weather patterns Growing cover crops in Minnesota: 4 great resources...

Debalin Sarangi - Extension Weed Scientist, Dave Nicolai - Extension Educator - Crops Register today for the Weed Science Field Day to be held this Tuesday, July 14, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Rosemount Research and Outreach Center in Rosemount, MN. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, there is no cost to attend the Field Day and lunch is included. However, pre-registration is highly recommended. Register online by July 10. Registration link: https://z.umn.edu/July14 Growers, crop consultants, agronomists, and other stakeholders are invited to tour several research-plot demonstrations on a variety of timely topics on weed management in corn, soybean, and dry edible beans: Herbicide-resistant weed management New herbicides and technology including precision sprayer Cover crops Directions to the Field Day The Rosemount Research and Outreach Center is located off of 160th St. (CR 46) between MN-Hwys 3 and 52. From MN Hwy 3, turn east on 170th St. W. After 1.8 miles, ...

By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator - Crops and Jodi DeJong-Hughes, Extension Educator - Water Quality