Minnesota Crop News

Roots and Rotation is a summer field day series happening across Minnesota. These field days will discuss the use of livestock for soil health goals in different agricultural systems. The series has two topical tracks for farmers and advisors of all situations. Integrating soil health principles into grazing practices The field days in this track focus on soil health practices and regenerative grazing management strategies. Learn how to improve your operation with insights from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and see the impact firsthand through a live rainfall simulator and other demonstrations. Discover how to implement effective grazing infrastructure, like fencing and watering systems, to improve land productivity and increase profitability. This workshop is designed for producers looking to improve their operations while conserving natural resources. For more information about each field day, click the links below: June 9, 2025 - Frazee, MN June 10, 2025 - Hine...

Claire LaCanne, Matt Russell and Gary Wyatt, Extension Educators When was the last time you walked in your windbreak or woodland? There may be invasive species plants or insects growing in these areas. You may also have high value trees that could be harvested for valuable timber products. These invasive species and profitable trees could be found in your windbreak, woodland areas and riparian woodlands near rivers and streams. Buckthorn Can you identify buckthorn trees on your property? Buckthorn trees are from Europe and not native to North America. Buckthorn was brought over by settlers in the 1850’s as windbreak trees. Little did they know that birds eat the seeds of the female trees and spread these prolific seeds changing the native windbreak/woodland understory. Buckthorn is also the overwintering host for soybean aphid. Buckthorn is on the MN noxious weed list and on the DNR invasive species list . To learn more about buckthorn control/management and the relationship ...

The USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) Regional Office in Eagan, which oversees crop insurance in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, has made some substantive changes to crop insurance options for oats and winter rye. First, beginning last spring, crop revenue coverage for oats is now a viable option with the changes made by USDA-RMA in calculating the price for oats.  Much like you, the agency has long recognized that the CBOT oats' future contracts had little to no bearing on the price at the farm gate.  After a pretty extensive statistical deep-dive and modeling effort using historical data, the agency came to the conclusion that the CBOT soft red winter wheat futures price was a much more robust predictor for oat prices at the farmgate than the CBOT oat futures. The Regional Office will be in the second year of providing this option to oat producers. Second, as of this fall, approved hybrid winter rye varieties were insurable separately from open-pollinated winter rye variet...