Minnesota Crop News

By: Paul McDivitt, U of M Extension communications specialist This blog post was originally published August 2021 Since sweet corn is harvested as an immature crop, a lot of the nitrogen (N) the crop takes up during the growing season remains in the plant residue left on the surface. Does that N become available to the following crop? Currently, the University of Minnesota does not recommend taking an N credit for processing sweet corn, grown on over 100,000 acres in the state. However, that may be changing after a new study. U of M researchers looked at this issue in a three-year study in Waseca, Minnesota from 2017 to 2020. They found an N credit for sweet corn of around 20 pounds of N per acre, 15 pounds less than the N credit following soybean. Sweet corn harvest (Charlie Rohwer/U of M Extension) “This means that farmers can potentially save money on nitrogen fertilizer if sweet corn is the previous crop,” said Carl Rosen, lead researcher on the study and a U of M Extension nutri...

While the University of Minnesota’s crop-specific fertilizer guidelines are updated often on Extension’s website, this is the first time since 2011 that the official publication, Fertilizer Guidelines for Agronomic Crops in Minnesota, has been updated. Download the free publication: z.umn.edu/2023FertilizerGuidelines (PDF) The publication features fertilizer guidelines for 21 crops and cropping systems, a chapter on how to understand your soil test report, and a chapter on lime needs. Each chapter includes everything you need to know about fertilizing the crop, from optimal N-P-K rates to rotation management considerations. Funding for the development of this publication was provided by Minnesota's Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC). Learn more about AFREC at MNsoilfertility.com --- For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode! And don't forget to subscr...

By: Dan Kaiser and Carl Rosen, UMN Extension nutrient management specialists Sweet corn and peas are major crops grown primarily for processing in Minnesota. The state currently ranks second in the U.S. for both sweet corn and pea production with approximately 93,100 acres of sweet corn and 53,400 acres of peas harvested annually. View the updated fertilizer guidelines: Sweet corn Peas For the most part, these crops are grown under rainfed conditions on fine-textured soils in southern and south-central Minnesota, often in rotation with field corn and soybean . Relative to field corn and soybeans, sweet corn and peas have a relatively short growing season because the crops are harvested at an immature stage of growth and then processed for canned or frozen products. Nutrient requirements will therefore differ relative to the other major agronomic crops produced for grain. The updated guidelines for sweet corn are based on a three-year study funded by the Agricultural Fertilizer Resea...

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about cover crops. What should farmers who are considering growing cover crops this year be thinking about? What are some tips for getting a cover crop established in Minnesota? Should growers consider applying fertilizer to help get a cover crop established? What recent cover crop studies have U of M researchers been doing, and what have we learned from them? Transcript Guests: Anna Cates, Extension soil health specialist (St. Paul) Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Lizabeth Stahl, Extension crops educator (Worthington) Additional resources: U of M Extension cover crops Minnesota Office for Soil Health Midwest Cover Crops Council Upcoming events: SWROC cover crop field day  - Aug. 18, Lamberton Rosholt research farm field day  - Aug. 18, Westport Becker irrigation and nutrient management field day  ...

By: Manuel Sabbagh, graduate research assistant, & Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist Key Points Interseeding cover crops produces greater biomass than drilling cover crops after harvest. In rotations where corn follows corn (sweet corn or silage), late fall application of manure (when soils are below 50°F but prior to freezing) sustains or improves yield compared to spring-applied fertilizer. What we did The objectives of this study were multi-faceted. First, we wanted to explore various cover crop planting methods and planting times in order to have consistency in cover crop establishment and keep the soil covered year-round. Second, we wanted to see if cover crops can retain nutrients from fall-applied liquid-injected manure, even if the manure was injected a little earlier in the fall than we usually recommend. (Typically, we recommend injecting manure when soil temperatures cool down to 50°F or below.) Lastly, we wanted to measure the effects that integrat...