Minnesota Crop News

By Angie Peltier and Liz Stahl, crops educators, Jodi DeJong-Hughes, water quality educator and Gary Wyatt, natural resources educator, UMN Extension    Throughout much of western Minnesota on May 12, 14 and 15, 2026, dry soils recently disturbed by spring tillage and other field operations combined with sustained 25 to 35 mph winds -gusting as high as 55 mph- led to a staggering loss of topsoil.    One video taken by SWCD staff in western Polk County, MN, illustrates that topsoil loss from Red River Valley fields significantly reduced visibility ( Video 1 ). Shocking soil losses were observed in parts of southern MN as well, with visibility being reduced to almost zero on Highway 15 on the Brown County/Watonwan County line, in a  video recorded by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office on May 12.     Video 1.  This video, taken in Polk County, MN shows poor visibility due to wind-eroded soil. Photo credit: Morgan Torkelson, West-Polk, Minnesota Soil ...

Please take a look at the photo below and guess whether this is a well-established cover crop or just a thick, lush crop of a volunteer grain. The field was tilled once in late August, early September. The picture was taken on November 6th near Crookston.  Photo 1 - Cover Crop or Volunteer Crop? You are today's winner if you guessed a lush volunteer crop of spring wheat.  The headland immediately at the field entrance is thinner and anemic, as is the edge of the ditch.  Otherwise, this volunteer spring wheat crop checks every single box for what you would want a cereal cover crop to look like in late fall. And that is the point of this blog - this meets all the criteria of how a cover crop should look in late fall, other than it was not sown by an approved seeding operation, nor does it contain a companion species. You should know that both mechanical and pneumatic fertilizer spreaders, in combination with tillage, can qualify as approved seeding operations. It is not tha...

American Crystal Sugar’s pre-pile harvest campaign is scheduled to start on August 12. This early start creates an opportunity to establish a cover crop to reduce the potential of wind and/or water erosion throughout the winter and early spring. Winter rye may seem like the obvious choice as it is nearly foolproof to get established and is the most winter-hardy. Likewise, spring or winter wheat may look like an option too. If you, however, plan to seed spring wheat on this year’s sugar beet acreage (or seed wheat adjacent to this year’s sugar beet fields you plan to establish this cover crop), you may want to read the rest of this article. Three potential pest and disease problems in spring wheat can take advantage of a "green bridge" to overwinter and cause problems next season. The earlier seeding allows the cover crop to grow much longer, and thus taller, this fall. The earlier seeding, however, also creates this green bridge for barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), wheat c...

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re discussing spring fertilizer decisions. Will the dry conditions last year have repercussions on how fertilizer is managed this year? What considerations should growers be making regarding fertilizer for a potentially late spring? Is there any new research on fertilizer products like biologicals or inhibitors that Minnesota growers should be aware of? Transcript Guests: Brad Carlson ( bcarlson@umn.edu ), Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Additional resources: For the second year in row, taking a pre-plant soil nitrate test this spring could pay big Planting or nitrogen application: With a wet spring, which one comes first? Nutrient Management Podcast: Phosphorus and potassium application in a late spring What's new on the topic of biostimulants? --- For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient M...

Craig Shaeffer, Extension forage agronomist, and Jake Jungers, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics Kernza® is the commercial name of seed harvested from Intermediate wheatgrass (IWG) (scientific name Thinopyrum intermedium ), a new perennial grain. The grain can be used as a substitute for annual grains like wheat for production of baked goods, breakfast cereals, and snack bars. Kernza has also been fermented for beer production. More information on development and commercialization of Kernza can be found at https://kernza.org/kernzacap/ and https://forevergreen.umn.edu/crops/kernza-intermediate-wheatgrass . Other technical resources for Kernza production can be found at https://sustainablecropping.umn.edu/resources Production potential and strategies to reduce yield decline Figure 1. Between-row mechanical tillage in the fall has reduced intermediate wheatgrass grain yield decline. Kernza grain yields are maximized the year following fall seeding and can exceed 600 poun...

Small grains harvest started in earnest in the Red River Valley last week. Initial yield reports have exceeded my expectations. The test weight and quality also appear to be good with little to no evidence so far of scabby kernels in the harvested grain (and therefore no concerns about DON) However, there are a number of other issues that concern me and that I like to bring to your attention: Wheat Stem Sawfly (WSS) – The first reports of WSS damage suggest to me that the area with affected fields continues to expand, with WSS having reached the Canadian border in the northern valley.  While you are harvesting, keep on the lookout for severely lodged areas along the edges of the field where you did not see lodging earlier this season. Please inform me if you find the telltale razor-cut straw in these lodged areas.

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we discuss Kernza, on track to becoming the world's first perennial grain crop.  What is Kernza and why should farmers consider growing it?  What do we know about Kernza’s soil fertility needs?  For organic producers, what nitrogen sources are suitable for production?  What is Kernza’s potential to be used as a “dual-use crop”? View the podcast transcript Guests: Jake Jungers, U of M Assistant Professor, Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics Jared Goplen, Extension educator - crops Brad Heins, U of M Associate Professor of Animal Science, West Central Research and Outreach Center Additional resources: Kernza website Kernza: Perennial Progress at University of Minnesota U of M Forever Green - Kernza U of M Sustainable Cropping - Kernza Minnesota Kernza Twitter account --- For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episod...

By Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, and Phyllis Bongard, UMN Extension educational content development and communications specialist Strip-till in corn. Over the last couple of years, it seems that few weeks go by without at least one new article or video about carbon markets in the ag press each week. On March 16, 2022, Dr. Anna Cates, University of Minnesota Extension state soil health specialist and Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension soil health and water quality educator joined UMN Extension crops educator Liz Stahl for a wide-ranging discussion on whether storing carbon is possible in production ag systems and the potential benefits to soil resiliency (and one’s pocketbook) by working to improve soil health. This was the eleventh episode of the 2022 Strategic Farming: Let’s talk crops! webinars. To watch this episode:  https://youtu.be/460hSVYxJns Carbon Smart Carbon is the one of earth’s most common and important elements and is one of life’s building blocks. Carb...