Crop production
Take control of crop success with unbiased crop research, publications and news from University of Minnesota Extension.
On this page
Corn
Hybrid selection
Choosing the right hybrid for your needs
Cropping systems
Crop rotations, corn following alfalfa, continuous corn
Planting
Guidelines, delayed planting, replant decisions
Growing
Emergence and stand establishment, weather damage
Pest management
Insects, diseases and nematodes affecting corn
Harvest
Harvest and lodging, grain drying and storage, crop residue management
Forages
Variety selection
Forage selection and identification, emergency forages, cover crops as forages
Planting
Seeding rates and dates, stand establishment
Growing
Life cycles and characteristics of legumes, assessing winter injury
Pest management
Diseases and insects affecting forages
Harvest and storage
Utilization, silages, pastures and grazing, biomass, stand termination
Small grains
Crop and variety selection
Small grain variety selection, crop rotations, malting barley varieties
Planting
Guidelines, seeding dates, seeding rates, delayed planting, replant decisions
Growing
Emergence and stand establishment, weather damage
Pest management
Find information about diseases and insects common to Minnesota small grain crops
Harvest and storage
Strategies for harvesting, storing and drying small grains in Minnesota.
Soybean
Variety selection
Choosing the right variety, seed quality
Planting
Guidelines, delayed planting, replanting decisions
Growing
Emergence and stand development, weather damage
Pest management
Insects and diseases affecting soybean
Harvest and storage
Storing and drying soybean
Sugarbeet
Growing
Row widths, plant population, seeds
Pest management
Insects and diseases affecting sugarbeet
Nutrient management
Nitrogen
Basics of nitrogen, rates by crop, using urea, soil testing
Phosphorus and potassium
Basics, deficiency symptoms, recommended rates, application methods
Micro- and secondary macronutrients
Recommendations for boron, sulfur, copper, magnesium, zinc
Liming
When lime is needed, assessing liming materials, guidelines
Crop-specific needs
Research-based fertilizer rates by crop
Testing and analysis
Understanding and interpreting soil test results
Soil and water
Irrigation
Irrigation scheduling, monitoring soil moisture, water quality
Soil management and health
Soil properties, tillage systems, reducing soil erosion and compaction and residue management
Agricultural drainage
Guide to agricultural drainage systems, including planning and design strategies, calculators, background about how it works, regulations and more.
Cover crops
Benefits, selection, establishment, maintenance, utilization and termination of cover crops.
Weed management
Weed identification
Photos of weeds and weed seedlings commonly found in Minnesota crop production
Herbicides
Calculating and calibrating rates, managing risk and drift, symptoms of dicamba exposure
Herbicide resistance management
Strategies for diversifying weed control to manage herbicide resistance
For ag professionals
Institute for Ag Professionals
Connecting ag professionals with the latest crops research
Regional research trials
Variety trials, herbicide evaluations, other regional research
On-farm research
Advice for planning and analyzing your own field experiments.