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Nitrogen and sulfur: In-season application, nutrient interactions, precision tech & more

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about nitrogen and sulfur application. What does current nitrogen and sulfur research mean for Minnesota growers? What do we know about the relationship between N and S in crops? What, if any considerations, should farmers make when applying S? Do N application rates need to be changed? With an earlier planting window this year will there be any issues related to N and S growers should be concerned about? TRANSCRIPT   Guests: Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Yuxin Mao, Assistant Professor of Precision Agriculture and Nutrient Management (St. Paul) Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist (St. Paul) Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul) Additional resources: Is it worth applying sulfur to your soybean crop? Sulfur fertilizer application: Does S carry over from one year to the next? Making sense of Minnesota’s corn fertilizer guidelines: Frequently asked q
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Reminder: Field Notes launches May 8

Register now for the 2024 launch of  Strategic Farming: Field Notes  this Wednesday, May 8! Dr. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed specialist, and Bruce Potter, IPM specialist, will be on hand to take your questions and discuss weed and insect concerns for the 2024 growing season. The  webinar series will continues throughout the growing season on Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 a.m.  Field Notes features a live, interactive webinar with specialists addressing in-season issues as they arise.  Crop producers and other ag professionals are invited to join us for timely topics including weather impacts, insect and disease issues, soil fertility concerns, agronomics, and more.  Can’t make the live session? No problem. The discussion-based series will be posted immediately following the webinar to your favorite podcast-streaming service to listen to at your convenience. Register for the series For more information, visit the Strategic Farming webpage .
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Organic row crop and forage needs assessment survey

Claire LaCanne, Extension educator - crops We want to hear from organic row crop and forage producers and agriculture professionals who work with organic producers! The University of Minnesota Extension Crops team would like to better understand the educational needs of our organic row crop and forage producers. To customize our educational programs to the interests of our organic producers, we would appreciate your input through the completion of the following survey. You do not have to be currently certified organic to take this survey - you could be considering transitioning, or simply using organic practices. We would also like to hear from grain buyers, crop consultants, and other agriculture professionals who work with organic growers. This survey is anonymous and should take 8-12 minutes to complete. Please complete our short survey . Your input will help us refine our programming to make it useful and relevant to you!
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Alfalfa Harvest Alert Program kicks off for 2024

Taylor Herbert, Extension educator With spring just around the corner, alfalfa fields are greening up and it won’t be too long before we are thinking about the first cut of hay. The goal of the Alfalfa Harvest Alert program is to help forage producers make a decision on the first cut of alfalfa to optimize forage yield and quality. This project is in its 28th year and is a collaboration between the Central Minnesota Forage Council and University of Minnesota Extension in conjunction with various agribusinesses sponsors, and farmers. Cooperator sites have been arranged in Stearns, Benton, Morrison, Wright, McLeod, Sibley, Nicollet, and Carver counties. How the program works Estimating alfalfa quality using the PEAQ stick. This project kicks off when alfalfa reaches between 14 to 16 inches tall. Cuttings of sample fields will be taken on Monday and Thursday mornings and sent for analysis to determine Relative Feed Quality (RFQ), Relative Feed Value (RFV), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), a
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Strategic Farming: Field Notes launches May 8 with weed and insect updates

Join us for the 2024 launch of  Strategic Farming: Field Notes  when we welcome Dr. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed specialist, and Bruce Potter, IPM specialist, for updates on weed and insect concerns for the 2024 growing season. The new webinar series begins May 8 and continues throughout the growing season on Wednesdays from 8 to 8:30 a.m.  Field Notes features a live, interactive webinar with specialists addressing in-season issues as they arise.  Crop producers and other ag professionals are invited to join us for timely topics including weather impacts, insect and disease issues, soil fertility concerns, agronomics, and more.  Can’t make the live session? No problem. The discussion-based series will be posted immediately following the webinar to your favorite podcast-streaming service to listen to at your convenience. Register for the series For more information, visit the Strategic Farming webpage .
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Black cutworm moths arrive in Minnesota

Bruce Potter, IPM specialist Black cutworm (BCW) moths arrived in Minnesota right on schedule this spring. The first moth was captured April 6 in McLeod County. Cooperative Black Cutworm Trapping Network results from 2012 to 2023 show the earliest migration arrival detected was March 30, 2021, and the latest was April 13 in 2018. Numerous cooperators traps reported captures from April 6 through April 19. The number of moths captured in most traps has been low to moderate. The first exception was a Brown County trap where an 8-moth capture occurred April 8. This is a significant capture. The network has been using 2 moths captured over a 2-night period as an indication that a large migration has occurred and an increased potential for crop damage. Other significant captures occurred April 14 in Steele Co, and July 16 -17th in Nicollet, Redwood, Renville, and Swift Counties. Maximum black cutworm moth captures over 2 nights from April 13-19. Black cutworm larvae have a wide host rang
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Are you overspending on fertilizer?

By: Brad Carlson, Extension educator The FINBIN database summarizes farm financial data from thousands of farms involved in Minnesota farm business management programs. What does the data say about fertilizer costs for the most profitable farms versus the least profitable farms? Fertilizer cost comparison Beginning in 2016, I decided to look at fertilizer expenses on a per acre basis in the FINBIN database to see if farmers were overspending on fertilizer. I looked only at corn acres (both rented and owned) for the southeast, south central, southwest, and west central parts of the state (the primary corn producing areas). Because assigning cost to manure is complicated and individual farms use different methods, I excluded all manure users. What I discovered in 2016 was that the 20% most profitable farms’ fertilizer costs averaged $138 per acre while the 20% least profitable farms spent $177 per acre – a 28% difference. My first inclination was that maybe the least profitable farms
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