Minnesota Crop News

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...

Dan Kaiser and Brad Carlson continue their discussion on N-fixing biostimulant products in today's episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast . What's the most up-to-date working definition of a crop biostimulant? On which crops are N-fixing products typically used? What is NCERA103.org , and in what ways it it a useful resource for farmers and other agricultural professionals? What are some of the different categories of nitrogen-fixing biostimulants? How should farmers be thinking about biological soil fertility products in general? All this and more on today's show. Read the full transcript here Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Additional resources: NCERA103.org Nitrogen-fixing biologicals: What farmers should know Nitrogen-fixing biological products: New report summarizes research from across the corn belt Nitrogen-fixing biological products: Four Midwest experts weigh in on indust...

This week on Advancing Nitrogen Smart , Melissa Wilson and Brad Carlson talk about manure sampling and testing. What are some sampling guidelines to be aware of in Minnesota? How variable is nitrogen in one type of manure, and then from type to type? How could changes to a farmer's overall operation affect manure nutrient content? How should manure samples be stored? Safety is huge - what do farmers need to know about staying safe when working with manure? Oh, and how do you prevent sample jars from exploding in the mail? This, and lots of manure info on today's show.  TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: 2025 Certified Manure Testing Laboratories Nitrogen availability of different manure types: What we know and what we are researching Introducing ManureDB: A new way to view manure variability and trends Manure management Manure Land Application: Minim...

Today on the Nutrient Management Podcast we discuss on-farm research. On-farm research has been here for decades - so what's new about it? What are management practices that might be easier to evaluate and which might be more difficult? What are the design criteria that farmers need to have in place in order to be successful? What kinds of problems have the panelists encountered while conducting on-farm research, and how might those problems have been avoided? How can farmers participate in University of Minnesota on-farm research projects, and how might it benefit them? All of this and lots more on today's show. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Matt Pfarr, Extension educator (Mankato) Additional Resources: On-farm research How to do research on your farm On-farm research (YouTube) Nutrient Management — Click here...

Join us for the launch of the 2025 season of University of Minnesota Extension's Strategic Farming: Field Notes! The online series begins May 7 this year with discussion about planting tips and tricks with Matt Pfarr as well as corn agronomy updates with Dr. Jeff Coulter and continues throughout the growing season on Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 a.m.  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.  Strategic Farming: Field Notes features live weekly online interactive discussions on cropping issues as they arise throughout the growing season.  The 2025 season kicks-off Wednesday, May 7, and will continue through August on Wednesday mornings from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Topics will be announced each we...

Today we’re talking all about nitrogen-fixing biologicals. What's the best definition of a biological or biostimulant? Are they fertilizers, pesticides - or neither? In what ways do they interact with nitrogen in the field? Where and how are biological products tested? Which environmental factors might impact biologicals? How should they be properly transported and stored? How can farmers assess whether biostimulants might be right for their operation? All this and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: NCERA103.org Nitrogen-fixing biological products: Four Midwest experts weigh in on industry claims, on-farm research tips, and more Nitrogen-fixing biological products: New report summarizes research from across the Corn Belt "Fixation" in the soil: What you need to know   (article talks about fixation in t...

Nitrogen conservation and water quality are the subject of today's Advancing Nitrogen Smart episode. There's lots to cover so we're splitting the episode up into two parts. Today in Part 1, Brad Carlson and Jeff Vetsch unpack different conservation solutions, and what might be achieved from their adoption. In what situations might buffer strips, cover crops, and corn genetics play their part? What about using technology-such as active and passive sensors? How do any reactive mitigation costs compare with proactive nutrient management planning? This and much more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Vetsch, researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca) Additional resources: 2025 Nitrogen Conference How to interpret a water test for nitrate Nitrogen Smart --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient ...

Today on the podcast we focus on soybean nutrient management in western Minnesota. Our four panelists conduct research across Minnesota and North Dakota. They'll explain their research trials, and discuss some preliminary results. Also, what should growers keep in mind as we transition into 2025? What are the panelists' concerns about IDC? That and much more on our last episode of 2024.   TRANSCRIPT Guests: Lindsay Malone, Assistant professor, Climate Smart Approaches in Agriculture (NDSU) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston) Seth Naeve, Extension soybean agronomist (St. Paul) Additional Resources: Growing soybean Is it worth applying sulfur to your soybean crop? Chloride and soybean: What to know about potash fertilizer management — Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrien...