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Crops current issues and highlighted resources

Weather impacts

Drought

Management of soybean aphids and two-spotted spider mites in soybean

Variable weather conditions and crop development can affect insect pest populations. 

Early season drought effects on corn and soybean 

How drought stress affects corn and soybean during early- to mid-vegetative stages and water use and irrigation considerations.

Dry conditions during corn pollination

How heat and water stress affects corn and how to evaluate kernel set.

Field Notes: Dry conditions affect weed management and small grain development

Fate of preemergence herbicides under dry conditions, weed management considerations and a small grains update.

Residual herbicide options as conditions remain dry

Layering a preemergence herbicide with postemergence applications.

Field Notes: Soil moisture and nitrogen management

Irrigation considerations,  soil moisture effects on nitrogen availability.

Harvesting drought-stressed small grains as forage

Small grains forage quality, harvest options, and nitrate concerns.

Harvesting drought-stressed corn for silage

Key considerations on corn stage, moisture content and drought severity when harvesting for silage. 

Forage issues during drought

Alfalfa during drought

Crop water use, alfalfa's tolerance to drought, drought effects on establishment and existing stands.

Drought again affects forage legumes and grasses

How drought affects forages and how tolerance varies.  

Forage supplies are tight: Preserve what you have!

Take precautions now to help minimize storage and feeding losses.

Feeding weedy forages

Nutritional value of weeds, antiquality and nitrate toxicity concerns.

Navigating nitrate toxicity in feedstuffs

Symptoms of nitrate toxicity and practices to reduce risk.  

Feeding dairy cattle in a drought

Steps you can take to acquire the forage you need or stretch the current forage inventory.

10 tips on managing drought-stressed horse pastures
Managing drought-stressed cool-season grass pastures in the Midwest can help ensure pasture longevity and maximize growth when rainfall comes.

Cover crops

To seed or not to seed a cereal rye cover crop this fall

Establishment practices, drought and residual herbicide considerations.

Digital Crop Doc

The UMN Extension crops team is launching a new program to help you with disease diagnosis in several crops:

  • Corn
  • Soybean 
  • Small grains
  • Sugarbeet
  • Forages

Visit the Digital Crop Doc, where you can tell us more about your field situation and submit photos. After you submit the form and photos, one of our team members will contact you with a diagnosis, a request for more information, or a suggestion to submit the samples to a plant disease clinic.

Emerging issues 

Cereal leaf beetle

The cereal leaf beetle has emerged as a new insect pest in northwestern Minnesota. Learn how to identify it, its life cycle and how it damages crops.

Soybean gall midge

Soybean gall midge is a new pest of Minnesota soybean. It was first identified in Rock County in August 2018 and since then has been found in several counties in southwestern Minnesota.

Learn about:

  • Identification.
  • Life cycle.
  • Impacts on soybean.
  • Scouting and management.

Palmer amaranth

Palmer amaranth found in Goodhue County

  • Identification
  • Sources
  • Status in Minnesota

Preventing Palmer amaranth in Minnesota

  • Why it's a threat.
  • How to identify it.
  • What to do if you find it. 
  • How it spreads.
  • How to prevent it from getting established.

Highlighted resources

Strategic Farming: Field Notes podcast

The Field Notes program is designed for farmers and agricultural professionals as a weekly podcast addressing the season's crop-related questions in an interactive, discussion-based format. 

Listen to the latest episodes in your web browser or learn how to subscribe

Insecticide options for resistant soybean aphid

Insecticide rotations are an important part of insecticide resistance management for pyrethroid-resistant soybean aphid. Learn about suggested rotation options when the treatment threshold has been reached:

  • Suggested insecticide groups for the 1st foliar application depending on whether or not a seed treatment was applied.
  • Re-treatment suggestions based on 1st foliar application and seed treatment.

Herbicide mode of action and sugarbeet injury symptoms

  • In-depth information on eight herbicide families.
  • Injury photos for individual herbicides within each of the families.

How to do research on your farm

  • How to set up your experiment.
  • How to interpret your results.
  • Tips for successful on-farm research.

Reviewed in 2023

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