Thousands of farmers and conservation professionals across Minnesota's watersheds are the most direct managers of our water health. We work to support them with research to improve soil health, mitigate nutrient loss, and help communities coordinate their watershed efforts.
(2021; 13:14), RealAgriculture, Ontario, Canada
(2021), University of Minnesota Extension and North Dakota State University
(2021; 11:42), Real Agriculture, Ontario, Canada
Soil compaction — Learn what causes soil compaction and how it affects crop growth and yield. Adopt management practices that minimize compaction.
Irrigation management strategies – Current information on adjusting irrigation by season/growth stage, predicting the last irrigation, adjusting the allowable soil water deficit, and optimizing pumping capacity.
To set up and operate an effective irrigation scheduling program, these sequenced procedures need to be followed for each field:
This procedure typically takes 5 to 20 minutes daily to keep updated after determining the initial soil water characteristics. If operator time is not available to regularly monitor and estimate soil moisture, consider finding a crop consultant to assist in achieving the management objectives and adopting advanced cellular telemetry irrigation management options that are available in the market.
Application uniformity testing for center pivot irrigation systems – Conduct each of the steps in a uniformity test, understand the uniformity coefficient, interpret the results, and determine whether or not you need to take additional steps.
(2014; 03:12 mins.)
The Irrigation Management Assistant (IMA) helps Minnesota growers improve irrigation efficiency across a variety of crops, including corn, soybean, potato, and other irrigated crops. The tool works best when using precipitation data close to your field and is optimized for Minnesota conditions through University of Minnesota research.
Download the app to your device (you must create a login) to check your fields and update records from anywhere. You can also save fields for reuse each season, eliminating the need to redraw boundaries year after year.
Keeping living roots in the ground year-round can improve water management, soil protection, and nutrient scavenging.
Find crop-specific nutrient needs for Minnesota, including guidelines for nitrogen, phosphate, potash and other fertilizers, and strategies for ensuring crops get the nutrients they need.
The Water Resources Center provides leadership in freshwater management through cutting-edge research, educational opportunities for students and professionals, and community outreach.
MIP is an educational program focused on providing advanced training on irrigation water management, irrigation system and equipment maintenance, energy conservation, water conservation and quality, and the economics of irrigated agriculture.
The Minnesota Drainage Program encourages farmers, landowners, local government units, and drainage professionals to optimize the public and private benefits of agricultural drainage systems.
The Soil Management Summit is a farmer-oriented event dedicated to practical soil management in Minnesota. Experienced farmers, researchers and consultants speak on a variety of soil management topics.
The University of Minnesota Extension crops team helps producers take control of their decisions to increase profitability and reduce economic and environmental risks. Our researchers and educators work in pest management, agricultural drainage and water management, soil management and health, climate and weather, and pesticide safety.
© 2026 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.