Minnesota Crop News

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension How do soil health practices—such as minimizing disturbance, maintaining ground cover, and promoting biological activity—interact with the 4Rs of nitrogen management to reduce runoff and nitrate leaching into water sources? How does nitrogen release (mineralize) or become tied up (immobilize) in residue depending on soil moisture, temperature, and microbial activity? Are biological soil tests (like the Haney test and Solvita CO₂ burst) precise tools for calculating exact fertilizer rates, or should they be considered general risk indexes? What role do strong soil structure and expansive root systems play in maximizing nitrogen uptake? Brad Carlson, Anna Cates and Dan Kaiser discuss this and much more on the 41st episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart  podcast.  Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Anna Cates, state soil healt...

Irrigation in Minnesota. Photo: UMN Extension Irrigation is the topic of discussion of today's episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast . What are current irrigation conditions in Minnesota? How is the aquifer in the Central Sands region recharged, and why is it so important to manage nutrients efficiently when irrigating? What new irrigation and nutrient management research is being conducted by the University of Minnesota? What are some of the benefits and risks associated with irrigation - and what practices might a farmer want to focus on first? What partnerships and financial resources are available for Minnesota farmers interested in adopting irrigation practices? Are there smaller practices that a grower new to irrigation might want to consider? What have farmers reported back to our panelists after having adopted irrigation practices? What are irrigation practices like throughout the rest of the country, and how does Minnesota differ? All this and more on today's epis...

By Tim Gieseke, Ag Water Management Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension “Precision” has been the trend in agriculture for the last few decades. Advancements like auto-steering, yield monitors, remote sensing/imagery, and variable rate technologies have allowed farmers to be more efficient and productive, and to lessen impacts on water, natural resources, and the environment. So, how does “precision” apply to drainage? Advancements in technology can mean greater access. Farmers now have access to equipment to install their own drain tile systems, such as tile plows to install plastic corrugated tile with high-horsepower tractors (bypassing the need for commercial self-propelled trenching machines), and GPS technologies enabling the centimeter-level, real-time vertical slope accuracy for gravity-fed systems. However, farmers should proceed with caution. Precision drainage is much more than using the latest tech to ensure the correct depth and pitch of drainage lines. Pr...

Photo credit: Anna Cates, Minnesota Office for Soil Health We’re talking all about nitrate management and placement as important factors for reducing nitrogen loss to water on today's episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast series. Different forms of nitrogen have their own potential for loss. How does nitrogen already in the nitrate form differ from ammonium for example? How does basic soil science slow down or speed up nitrogen transformation? Why can't nitrates be easily stabilized in the fall in Minnesota? How do other factors like pH affect nitrogen transformation? This and much more in today's discussion.  Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Nitrogen placement: What MN farmers should know about depth, incorporation, loss pathways, and more How 4R Nutrient Stewardship can help Minnesota farmers Four things I’ve learned about nitrog...

Irrigation equipment near Becker, MN. Photo: University of Minnesota Extension By: Vasudha Sharma, Extension irrigation specialist With new irrigation cost-share opportunities available in Minnesota, more growers may be considering variable rate irrigation (VRI) this season. Recent funding announced through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is intended to support improved irrigation efficiency, groundwater protection, and better nitrogen management on irrigated farmland across key Minnesota counties. This makes it a good time for growers to think carefully about how VRI can be used effectively in their fields. Variable rate irrigation is not for every field VRI can be a useful tool, but it is not something every irrigated field needs. The biggest advantage comes in fields with clear and repeatable variability, such as differences in soil texture, organic matter, elevation, or drainage. In those situations, applying one uniform irrigation depth across the whole field...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension Properly designed tile drainage systems are long-term investments that can significantly enhance field performance and water table management. This workshop brings together leading drainage experts to share science-based knowledge and practical insights that will help participants make well-informed drainage management decisions. The workshop is intended for farmers, landowners, crop consultants, local government staff, drainage contractors, and ag / conservation professionals interested in better understanding drainage system design, water management strategies, and improving field performance while avoiding costly mistakes.    This one-day event will focus on how subsurface (tile) drainage works, the basics of drainage design, and the financial and technical assistance for water storage, conservation and precision drainage practices. Participants will be introduced to tools to optimize drainage depth and spacing and the benefits of c...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension Today on the show we join a panel of 5 specialists, practitioners, Extension educators to discuss nitrates and water quality in southeast Minnesota. What is the current situation with nitrates and water quality in southeast Minnesota? Is the situation improving over time? What are some key factors affecting nitrate concentrations? What should growers in the region be thinking about in terms of nitrogen best management practices? What are some other ways that farmers in southeast Minnesota can help improve water quality? What else should we be thinking about related to N BMPs and nitrate water quality issues in southeast Minnesota? What resources (financial and otherwise) are available to farmers in southeast Minnesota? All this and much more today's Nutrient Management Podcast from University of Minnesota Extension. A video of this podcast recording is now available on YouTube .   Read the full transcript Guests: Mary Nesberg, Extension educ...

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension By: Mary Nesberg, Extension educator Are you trying to remember the last time you screened your drinking water well for nitrates? The Minnesota Department of Health recommends screening for nitrates every year. There are several resources available for well users and farmers in southeast Minnesota to help improve water quality. Southeast Minnesota’s karst geology Residents of southeast Minnesota have many reasons to love this corner of the state — the rolling hills, limestone bluffs, and clear, spring-fed streams that define its landscape. These features exist because we live in a region shaped by karst geology, where water has carved pathways through limestone over thousands of years. It’s a landscape of beauty and complexity — but also one of vulnerability.   Image credit: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency In karst areas, fractures, sinkholes, and underground caves can allow water and pollutants to travel quickly from the surface into the...

Healthy soil (left) vs compacted soil (right) By: Bailey Tangen and Gabi Bolwerk, Extension educators Fall is a great time to start thinking about how to adjust your management practices to reduce erosion and improve soil health. A good first step is to understand the current state of your soil. To do this, you can perform a quick in-field soil health assessment. In this visual guide, we’ll walk you through how to conduct your own in-field soil health assessment. In an in-field soil health assessment, we look at the biological and physical properties of soil as they relate to soil function. This assessment can be done in 15-20 minutes and should be done in a few spots in your fields to get a full picture of how your soil functions. To learn more and to get help doing an assessment, call your local NRCS or SWCD office. These folks are willing to come out to your field, do an assessment, and provide management recommendations to protect the vitality of your operation and the producti...

By: Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist & Fabian Fernandez, Extension nitrogen management specialist A recent update has been made to University of Minnesota Extension’s suggested nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates for non-irrigated corn. The update adds data from the 2022, 2023, and 2024 growing seasons to our long-term dataset. The tables below summarize the current values which are included in the updated Fertilizing Corn in Minnesota web page and publication, as well as the Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator. The inclusion of the newer data resulted in an increase in suggested N application rates for both corn following corn and corn following soybean, with an increase in suggested N rates of around ten pounds per acre in both situations.  For those using the Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator , results may vary from the below tables within 1-2 lbs. for similar price ratios due to rounding of the values used in the tables. The acceptable range is included to account for...

Today on the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast we take a close-up look at bioreactors as an edge-of-field practice. How does this important tool work, and how does it mitigate nitrate loss? What types of carbon sources have traditionally been used in a bioreactor, and what types of carbon could be used in the future? How are bioreactors incorporated in to a farmer's operation? How are they maintained? How effective and efficient are bioreactors? What's on the horizon for the next generation of bioreactor technology? All this and more on today's episode. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Strock, Extension soil scientist (Lamberton) Additional resources: Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from agricultural drainage water by a modular bioreactor Bioreactor Research 3 takeaways from the Conservation Drainage Network’s annual meeting Edge of field N and P reduction strategies: What to know about conservation drainage ...

A bioreactor at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) in Lamberton, Minnesota. By: Lindsay Pease, Extension drainage specialist Once a year, university researchers from around the country get together with state and federal agency staff and industry partners to discuss all things related to conservation drainage. This year’s meeting took place in early April at the University of Illinois. The goal of the Conservation Drainage Network’s annual meeting is to come together to discuss the latest research findings and different strategies to increase implementation of conservation drainage on the landscape. Here are three of my key takeaways from the meeting. What is conservation drainage? First, if you’re new to the term “conservation drainage,” here is a quick summary. Conservation drainage refers to a suite of practices that can be used in tandem with subsurface drainage systems to minimize environmental impacts while maintaining their capacity to remove excess water from th...

Today on the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast we discuss nitrogen fertilizer management and surface water issues. When did we first become aware of nitrates appearing in surface water? What are some of the effects, and who is being affected? What are Minnesota's current nitrate-reduction strategy benchmarks - and are we on target to meet them? What are some of the challenges and success stories Minnesotans should know about? Which organizations can I contact if I'd like to become more involved?  TRANSCRIPT Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator and water quality specialist (Mankato) Dan Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: MPCA Nutrient Reduction Strategy Nitrogen Best Management Practices (BMPs) HUC-8 Watersheds Soil and Water Conservation Districts in MN --- Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes. For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast . An...