Minnesota Crop News

  Anthony Hanson, Extension Educator - Field Crops Integrated Pest Management (hans4022@umn.edu) Figure 1. Seed corn maggot feeding on a soybean cotyledon. Overlap between how temperatures affect planting timing and pest development frequently affects management decisions, and that is beginning to show as we transition into May. Warm temperatures usually mean field work and planting progresses quickly, but warm weather can also speed up the timing of insect emergence. Seed corn maggot (SCM) feeds on seed and newly emerging seedlings where adult females lay eggs in disturbed soil beginning in spring. Eggs can hatch within two to four days and maggots move to and feed on seed and germinating plants. Multiple generations continue throughout the growing season in fairly distinct waves for each generation. Like with other insects, the warmer the average daily temperature, the quicker SCM develops and progresses through each generation as populations build. When mos...

 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...