By David Nicolai and Doug Holen, Extension Educators - Crops

The University of Minnesota Extension Forage Team has developed a list of resources available to livestock and alfalfa producers affected by the recent alfalfa winter injury and winterkill in 2013. These resources are available at the U of MN Extension crops website http://www1.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/crops/spring-issues/

by Dan Martens, U of M Extension Educator in Stearns-Benton-Morrison Counties

Three Items:

1. Reports from May 2, 2013 Sauk Centre Hay Auction (here)

2. Winter Alfalfa Injury Resources (read more)

3. Alfalfa Harvest Alert Scissors Cut Project in Central MN (read more)

MAY 2 HAY AUCTION REPORTS

May 2 2013 SC Hay Auction.pdf ... A summary of all tested hay lots and bedding materials sold... grouped by kind of hay, type of bale and 25 RFV points... cost per pound of dry matter and per RFV point are calculated.

History of Selected Lots 2012 2013.pdf ... A summary of hay auctions held this year showing Medium Square Alfalfa 101-200 RFV divided in 25 RFV groups, and medium sq. straw.

Graph 2001 to 2013 SC Hay Auction.pdf ... A line graph of these auctions from 2001 to 2013. For the Feb 16 auction, the 176-200 RFV group is just one load - so not really an average.

The next auction at Sauk Centre will be held on Thursday May 16.

High pH, highly calcareous soils, common in western Minnesota, restrict the availability of soil Fe needed for optimum soybean growth and yield. On such soils, the amount of Fe fertilizer applied must surpass a threshold before there is sufficient available Fe in the soil solution to induce a positive growth response. Only a limited number of management tactics designed to improve the availability of Fe have been studied with soybean. These include variety selection, seeding density, seed-applied or in-furrow materials, and foliar treatments.

Using grid soil sampling to guide manure application can be a profitable investment, is the conclusion from case studies based on eight Minnesota farms. In fields where there is a history of non-uniform manure application, targeting new manure applications to areas with lower phosphorus and potassium soil test values can result in considerable economic returns above the cost of grid soil sampling. Variable rate manure applicators are not required when fields can be divided into application and no-application zones, with supplemental nitrogen fertilizer in the no-manure zones. The brief case studies are available on the University of Minnesota Extension web page for Manure Management and Air Quality http://www.manure.umn.edu, under Grid Soil Sampling for Manure Application. An introduction, the eight case studies, and a set of short video presentations based on the case studies are available at http://z.umn.edu/gridsoilsampling.

Funding for the development of these case studies was provided by the McKnight Foundation.

April 18 SC Hay Auction.pdf.. A list of tested lots sold an bedding materials, grouped by bale type and quality.

History of Selected Lots 2012 2013.pdf... Average and range of values for Medium Square Alfalfa in 25 RFV groups from 101 to 200 RFV, listed for each sale this year.

Graph 2001 to 2013 SC Hay Auction.pdf ... Line graph for market years since 2001 for Medium Square Alfalfa in groups by 25 RFV points from 101-200 RFV.

Management of Iron (Fe) deficiency chlorosis (IDC) in soybean is seemingly and endless topic of research in soybean growing areas with high pH, calcareous, parent materials. We are just finishing a three-year summary of a series of IDC management strip trials that began in 2010. Our main focus for this work was to study the variability in response for a tolerant and susceptible variety to an oat companion crop and a 6% EDDHA-Fe treatment applied in-furrow (we used Soygreen at a rate of 3 lbs of product per acre). The field areas were selected to have some variation in the severity of IDC.

University Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

With the extreme variability in growing conditions there have been some questions regarding the variability in soil test. A project is being launched to establish a series of sentinel plots to study the monthly variation in soil test values over the next two growing season. We are looking for participants that are willing to take samples from a single point within a field and mail them off to us at Saint Paul. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of what is happening over the growing season for a number of different nutrients commonly measured.

By Bruce Potter

IPM Specialist SW MN

The late spring has had one advantage.   Migration of insect pests from the south into Minnesota has been delayed.

The black cutworm, one of the migrant pest species that sporadically causes problems in Minnesota crops, reduced stands in some 2011 and 2012 corn fields.  The females prefer to lay eggs in un-worked fields where areas of winter annual or early spring germinating weeds, common lambsquarters for example, occur.

Much of the seed planted this year will have been treated with a fungicide, insecticide and/or nematicide. As when working with any pesticide, care should be taken when handling treated seed so that exposure to the handler, non-target organisms, and the environment is reduced or prevented as much as possible.

Check out this post from 2008 to understand how and why the planting window for wheat, barley and oats is what it.

Apr 4 2013 SC Hay Auction.pdf.. A list of tested lots sold an bedding materials, grouped by bale type and quality.

History of Selected Lots 2012 2013.pdf .... Average and range of values for Medium Square Alfalfa in 25 RFV groups from 101 to 200 RFV, listed for each sale this year. 

Graph 2001 to 2013 SC Hay Auction.pdf.... Line graph for market years since 2001 for Medium Square Alfalfa in groups by 25 RFV points from 101-200 RFV.