Minnesota Crop News

Small grains harvest is progressing at a brisk pace, and so is the harvest of the small grain yield trials.  Only the spring wheat, barley, and oat variety trials in the two northernmost locations in the state are left standing, and those will come off sooner rather than later.  Curious how your varieties fared against the other entries this season? The preliminary results for grain yield of the winter wheat, winter rye, winter triticale, barley, oats, and spring wheat trials have been posted on varietytrials.umn.edu .  Simply follow the link and click on the nested Google Sheet tab labeled '2026 Preliminary Results'.  Check in (early) next week if the data for your favorite location isn't posted yet. I'll keep updating the  Google Sheets more or less the day I have new data in hand (well, actually, in a spreadsheet on my computer...)  Sin-cereal-y, Jochum Wiersma

Join us Wednesday, August 12th  for the final weekly Field Notes webinar of the summer when we welcome Anthony Hanson , Extension Field Crops IPM Educator, and Dean Malvick , Extension Plant Pathologist. Growers have been asking about interesting methods they have heard about for trying to control diseases or insects, such as using hydrogen peroxide or sugar applications on crops. This session will discuss what data exists on these topics. We'll also discuss late-season diseases such as tar spot and southern rust in corn and what has been seen recently, especially in southern Minnesota. If you aren't registered for these free webinars, visit: z.umn.edu/FN2026. Map of confirmed southern corn rust finds as of Aug. 10, 2026 from Corn IPMPIPE website . Some counties in southern Minnesota have had positive reports.   What is Field Notes? Crop producers and agricultural professionals face a host of challenges, including pest issues, agronomic concerns, and soil fertility...

By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator – Crops, Seth Naeve, Extension Soybean Agronomist, and Robert Koch, Extension Entomologist

  In this episode of MN CropCast, hosts Dave Nicolai and Dr. Seth Naeve sit down with Bryce Nelson, a veteran independent crop consultant and the current president of the Minnesota Independent Crop Consultants Association (MNICCA). With over four decades of boots-on-the-ground experience serving southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, Bryce shares his unique perspective on how the crop consulting industry has shifted to meet the demands of modern agriculture. Key Highlights from the Episode: The True Meaning of Independence: Bryce explains the strict philosophy behind MICCA. By remaining completely separate from product sales, independent consultants act as unbiased advocates focused solely on maximizing the farmer's return on investment. Agronomic Evolution: A look at how weed management has come full circle—from the complex chemistry battles of the 1980s, through the simplicity of the Roundup era, and back to today’s high-stakes battle over resistance management. The Modern, Speci...

Find out about the latest in forage management at the Multi-state Forage Field Day on August 18  from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the University of Minnesota's West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, Minnesota. The field day is supported by Upper Midwest universities and forage associations as part of the I-29 Moo University , along with generous support from sponsors.  Learn from experts across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska during hands-on field sessions and indoor presentations covering topics including:  • Grazing under solar panels • Virtual fencing • Manure application • Forage interseeding • Forage agronomy • Pest management • Nutrient management Early-registration includes lunch at $20 per person or $10 per person if you come as a farm or family group and both will increase by $5 after August 9th. Walk-in registration ($25) will be available the day of the event, but registration by August 9th is highly encouraged if you plan t...

Tatum Dwyer, UMN Entomology Graduate Student, Eric Yu, UMN Extension IPM Educator, Fei Yang, UMN Extension Corn Entomologist Every field season, researchers and extension professionals at the University of Minnesota monitor moth flights of several economically important pests, including the western bean cutworm, true armyworm, corn earworm, and European corn borer. Annual moth flight data from previous field seasons can be retrieved from https://vegedge.umn.edu/weekly-moth-flights . Tracking moth flights informs growers and consultants which pests to keep an eye out for and to estimate when to apply control measures through degree-day modeling (read more here: https://vegedge.umn.edu/degree-day-models-select-pests-midwest-region ) One of the most widely used tools for monitoring these insect pests is the blacklight trap. Traditional light traps have been used for centuries to capture nocturnal species. These insects are attracted to the ultraviolet (UV) light atop a funnel and follow t...