Nutrient management

Corn

• Corn fertilizer guidelines
• Regional corn N rate calculator
• Corn supplemental N rate calculator
• Managing the rotation from alfalfa to corn
• Using banded fertilizer for corn production
• Banding fertilizer with corn seed

Soybean

• Soybean fertilizer guidelines
• Soybean nutrient calculator
• Managing iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) in soybeans

Small grains

• Barley
  • Barley nutrient calculator
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Oat
• Rye
• Wheat
  • Wheat nutrient calculator
• Wild rice

Bean, peas, sweet corn

• Edible bean fertilizer guidelines
• Fertilizing processing peas in Minnesota
• Fertilizing sweet corn in Minnesota

Grasses and legumes

• Alfalfa
  • Alfalfa nutrient calculator
• Grasses for hay and pasture
• Grass-legume mixtures
• Red clover, alsike clover and birdsfoot trefoil

Oilseed

• Canola
• Sunflower

Sugarbeet fertilizer guidelines

Potato fertilization on irrigated soils

Fertilizing wildlife food plots in Minnesota

Nitrogen (N) is the nutrient most often deficient for crop production in Minnesota, and its use can result in substantial economic return for farmers.

However, when N inputs to the soil system exceed crop needs, there’s a possibility that excessive amounts of nitrate may enter either ground or surface water. By effectively managing nitrogen, growers can produce crops in a more profitable and environmentally friendly way.

• Understanding nitrogen in soils

• Guide to using urea as a crop fertilizer in Minnesota

• Guide to using irrigation systems for nitrogen chemigation in Minnesota

Educational programming

• Nitrogen Smart – Nitrogen Smart is an educational program for producers that covers fundamentals and advanced topics to maximize the economic return on nitrogen investments while minimizing nitrogen losses.

• Nitrogen Conference – University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center’s annual Nitrogen Conference brings experts together to focus on this valuable input. It is held in February.

Videos

Which nitrogen source is right for you? (2020; 04:14)

Find guidance on how to manage phosphorus and potassium on Minnesota croplands. We cover nutrient sources, how and when to apply fertilizers, and management strategies for increasing profits while reducing runoff.

Phosphorus

• Understanding phosphorus fertilizers

• Understanding phosphorus in Minnesota soils

• How to manage phosphorus and control losses

• Phosphorus in surface waters

• Assessing risk of phosphorus loss from cropland

Potassium

Guide to potassium for Minnesota crops

Micro- and secondary macronutrients are not as essential to plant growth as the major macronutrients. The following nutrients may be of heightened concern for Minnesota farmers, depending on geography, soil, crops grown and management symptoms.

Boron – Using Boron in a fertilizer program can produce substantial production increases of a very limited number of crops, resulting in improved net profit to the grower.

Sulfur – Plays a major role in the formation of the proteins needed to sustain life in all biological organisms.

Copper for crop production – Copper is required for many enzymatic activities in plants and for chlorophyll and seed production.

Magnesium for crop production – Magnesium is the central core of the chlorophyll molecule in plant tissue and helps activate enzyme systems.

Manganese in Minnesota soils – Required for photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism, lignin synthesis, root growth, and activation of many enzymatic systems.

Zinc  – A recommended micronutrient in fertilizer programs for the production of corn, sweet corn, and edible beans.

Video

Micronutrients: Small but mighty (2019; 04:07)

Liming to a pH of 6.0 to 6.5 or higher provides an ideal environment for bacteria in soils and increases the supply of soil phosphorus available to plants. Agricultural liming materials include limestone (both calcitic and dolomitic), burned lime, slaked lime, marl, shells, and by-products like sugar beet lime and sludge from water treatment plants.

In Minnesota, liming materials are analyzed and sold on the basis of Effective Neutralizing Power (ENP). Discover how to determine the need for lime and decide on the appropriate lime material.

Liming materials for Minnesota soils

Lime needs in Minnesota – View general guidelines for lime in Minnesota soils, including how to determine the need for lime and why lime is so important for soil.