Minnesota Crop News

Sidedress application in Faribault, MN. Photo: UMN Extension Brad Carlson and Dan Kaiser discuss sidedressing in today's Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast episode. What's the big-picture rationale behind sidedressing? How can sidedressing or split-applying be beneficial in terms of avoiding nitrogen loss? Since nitrogen uptake isn't linear, what growth stages coincide with peak daily demand for nitrogen? Are there any significant risks in starting a sidedress or topdress application early in the season? What have past experiments shown regarding positive and / or negative responses to sidedressing? How should inhibitors be used with sidedress / topdress? What should farmers know about soil types and tile drainage when making sidedress decisions? This and much more on the 37th episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast series. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) ...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension Brad and Jeff continue their discussion of variable rate nitrogen technology by zeroing in on the pre-sidedress nitrate test (PSNT). What are key differences between the PSNT and the pre- plant nitrate test (PPNT)? What growth stage should the crop reach before taking a PSNT? How have sampling and storage procedures evolved from past years? How variable can samples actually be within the same zone and between zones? What should farmers watch out for when interpreting test results? Do different methods of N application produce different PSNT results? How about timing? Manure? What's N's 'critical value' in Minnesota? All these answers and more in-depth discussion on today's episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast . Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Vetsch, Lead researcher, Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca) Additional resources: What’s th...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension By: Brad Carlson, Extension educator The University of Minnesota uses the Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) method for helping corn growers pick a nitrogen fertilizer rate. This method uses a database of results from many research trials around the state and then factors in the price of corn and the price of nitrogen fertilizer to find the most profitable nitrogen fertilizer rate for Minnesota corn growers. Understanding the “price ratio” is key. The price ratio is the price of nitrogen fertilizer per pound to the value of a bushel of corn.  For example, if N fertilizer costs $0.40 per lb. of N (or $656 per ton of anhydrous ammonia), and corn is valued at $4.00 per bushel, the ratio would be 0.40/4.00 = 0.10. Historically, the price ratio has hovered around 0.10 but in recent years high nitrogen fertilizer prices have resulted in higher price ratios. What is the price ratio looking like heading into 2026? The University of Minnesota’s corn f...

On this episode of Advancing Nitrogen Smart , Brad and Dan take some of the mystery out of variable rate nitrogen. What are we trying to accomplish when we use a variable rate management practice? What kinds of field conditions might benefit from VRN, and which conditions should be avoided with VRN? How might the other 3 R's (Timing, Source & Placement) play a part in variable rate decision making? All that and more on today's show.  TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Is variable rate nitrogen based on yield maps a good idea? Variable rate nitrogen: What farmers should know Making sense of Minnesota’s corn fertilizer guidelines: Frequently asked questions and answers Fertilizing corn in Minnesota Nitrogen Smart --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Man...

Nitrogen continues to receive a lot of attention from farmers and the ag industry as a whole. Between high fertilizer prices experienced over the past few years, recent low commodity prices, and environmental issues, there is a lot to consider when making N management decisions. Building on the popular Nitrogen Smart foundational program, University of Minnesota Extension will host two free Nitrogen College events: March 5 - 6 at the Red Barron Arena in Marshall, and March 19-20 at University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center in Crookston. Both events will consist of the same five sessions over two days. Attendees can choose to attend any or all of them. The five sessions are: “A Deep Dive Into the 4 Rs” – Day 1, 9:00 a.m. This curriculum goes into detail about the different types of N fertilizer and how they are best managed. This session includes a detailed look into determining the best rate for a field in a specific year. “Adapting N Management to Climate” – Day 1...

Today we’re talking all about variable rate nitrogen. What underlying information do we need to make decisions about VRN? What areas in the field might be prone to N loss? Should you only add extra N to high-yielding areas, or could a low-yielding zone also show positive responses? What effect could your overall management strategy have on a variable rate response? All this and more on today's episode. TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Variable rate nitrogen and nitrogen advisory tools: Do they work? Nitrogen Smart Understanding nitrogen in soils --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient...

We continue our conversation about nitrogen conservation and water quality on Advancing Nitrogen Smart. Today in Part 2, Brad Carlson and Jeff Vetsch continue discussing new technologies that may help address nitrogen loss, such as passive sensors and crop modeling systems. How might future tools such as AI play a part? How is precision testing affected by timing? In what ways can hybrid engineering, and further efficiencies in inhibitors be leveraged? 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 Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email n...

By: Jack Wilcox, Extension communications generalist Access to unbiased, research-based information is essential for farmers and agricultural professionals. On the Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast series, Extension educator Brad Carlson and Extension nutrient management specialist Dan Kaiser examine and unpack the latest in nitrogen management research and recommendations, enabling farmers to make their own best decisions to maximize profits and minimize nitrogen loss to the environment. The Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast series just turned 10! (episodes old). If you haven't listened yet, you can tune in here . Here's what we've covered so far and what you can expect from us in the near future. Advancing Nitrogen Smart episodes: Ep. 1 - N Placement Brad and Dan launch our series with a detailed discussion about the first of the 4 Rs - placement. What should Minnesota farmers know about depth, incorporation, loss pathways, and more to help achieve optimal nitrogen efficie...

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about manure application in 2024. What’s the value of manure today, given that fertilizer prices are still elevated compared to 2018 and 2019? What does long-term research show us about manure’s value, and how might this information benefit growers and producers? Which manure best management practices (BMPs) help growers be most efficient? In what ways has ManureDB benefited farmers since its launch one year ago? What’s on the horizon for manure management? TRANSCRIPT Guests: Melissa Wilson, Extension manure nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Chryseis Modderman, Extension educator (Morris, MN) Mary Keena, Extension livestock environment management specialist, North Dakota State University (Carrington, ND) Amy Schmidt, Livestock manure management engineer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Lincoln, NE) Additional resources: Manure Management ManureDB Long-term Cropping Systems Study (NDSU) Manure and minimum ti...

In the 4th episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series, we’re talking in-depth about sidedress. What are the growth stages critical to growers when sidedressing? What are options for assessing whether to add supplemental N, and how should they be used? How do wet conditions affect yield, and are rescue treatments economically advantageous? What sensing methods are available (such as drones) and what are their pros and cons? TRANSCRIPT Guests: Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Additional resources: The Supplemental Nitrogen Worksheet for Corn: a tool for in-season nitrogen management decisions Nitrogen Nitrogen Smart --- Click here  to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube c...

Photos taken June 14, 2024 at the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca, Minnesota. In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about supplemental nitrogen fertilizer. What are conditions like around the state? What practices do the worst looking fields seem to have in common? How does a producer assess their situation? What are some recommendations moving forward? (This episode was recorded June 14, 2024.) TRANSCRIPT Guests: Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca) Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Additional resources: Should you apply supplemental nitrogen fertilizer this year?  (June 4, 2024) Supplemental Nitrogen Worksheet for Corn Split-applying nitrogen for corn: Three keys for successful sidedress applications Should you add inhibitors to your sidedress nitrogen application? Fertilizin...