Alfalfa winterkill may be caused by a combination of factors, including harsh and long winter conditions, plant stress due to drought and, possibly, over-harvesting during the previous summer. Reports have indicated that late cuttings in 2012, even before Sept. 1, resulted in very little regrowth; observations of late summer cuttings have been reminiscent of alfalfa cut in mid-October.

In March, alfalfa fields looked to be in decent shape. The damage appears to have occurred after the slight temperature warming in March followed by the slushy snow in April. Southern Minnesota locations have reported a considerable amount of winterkill.

Forage selection and seeding strategies
Producers already face high feed prices. The last two years of dry weather resulted in a shortage of feed, especially forage.

Key attributes of successful forage options are that they establish quickly, grow rapidly, and provide good yield and quality per acre. Experts have made many suggestions, including ryegrass, sorghum-sudan grass, BMR sudan grass, clover, wheat, barley, oats, peas and oats silage. Some producers decide to replace alfalfa acres with corn or soybeans.

Availability of seed may be a concern that dictates which forage option works best for each producer. Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin, recommends simply drilling Italian ryegrass into the dead areas with no tillage. Tillage would disturb the field and delay seeding. Undersander recommends seeding 10 lbs. /acre (55 seeds/sq. ft.).

If producers decide to plow their alfalfa fields, they should consider long-term needs for cow diets and decide if they will select alternative forage or use those acres to plant other crops.

Additional strategies
This is a great time to evaluate your options for storing forages to prevent shrink and increase efficiency of forage feeding. Lactating cow diets in 2013 may reflect alfalfa shortage because producers will likely be feeding greater than 50 percent of the dry matter diet as corn silage.

Consider forage conservation options such as restricted feeding of growing heifers and exploring alternative non-forage fiber sources, such as whole fuzzy cottonseed, soyhulls, corn gluten feed, beet pulp, and sweet corn silage. Try to maximize forage quality for high-producing cows, and avoid making decisions that save money in the short-term but cost money in the long term.

Finally, evaluate potential cull cows, including excessive numbers of replacement heifers, to reduce forage needs. As always, consistency within the nutrition program is always a positive. Make necessary changes gradually and work to minimize variation in nutrient supply to dairy cattle.

Visit www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/crops/spring-issues for more Extension information about the forage shortage situation. Visit www.extension.umn.edu/dairy for more information for dairy producers.

Media Contact: Allison Sandve, U of M Extension, (612) 626-4077, ajsandve@umn.edu

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The Commodity Challenge game (www.commoditychallenge.com) features real-time cash, futures and options quotes for corn, soybeans and wheat. It offers a one-of-a-kind approach to learning about commodity markets and price risk management. It is used in high school and college classrooms, and by farmers to learn about marketing strategies. Players will find it to be intuitive and easy to navigate. Commodity Challenge was used last year by more than 1,500 people in 12 states.

For newcomers to the world of grain marketing, Commodity Challenge offers a hands-on opportunity to learn about futures and options terms and pricing tools. Commodity Challenge also introduces players to the basics of trading grain: placing orders, unwinding positions, and accounting for gains and losses.

"Commodity Challenge asks players to put themselves in the shoes of a grain producer, allowing players to experience the pain and glory of trading decisions in a risk-free environment," said Edward Usset, Extension economist and grain marketing specialist with the Center for Farm Financial Management.

Usset adds that it's different from other online trading games. "Other games concentrate on a speculative approach to trading—a 'buy low, sell high' approach. This game focuses on the use of futures and options contracts to manage price risk."

Some decisions players face include: How will you manage price risks associated with producing grain? Will you sell grain today, or store grain to sell later? Will you establish a price using futures contracts, or buy put options to set a minimum price? Commodity Challenge offers great way to explore pricing tools and marketing strategies.

The redesigned website improves upon a successful learning experience, featuring a great new look with links to social media and a game dashboard. Game leaders will be able to monitor player decisions and progress.

The new version also features a broad selection of local cash markets. Commodity Challenge games can be customized to display nearby prices and quotes on forward contracts. Cash and forward prices are provided by GeoGrain, a service that gathers daily grain quotes from thousands of local cash markets. Futures and options quotes are provided by the major exchanges and by Telvent/DTN.

The best way to experience Commodity Challenge is to register and join an open game (a game without password protection). Players can place orders, check account actions and develop a feel for how the game works. Creating a Commodity Challenge game for groups is very easy. Send an email to Usset at usset001@umn.edu and specify the group's location, a start date, an end date, and specify the grains to trade (corn, soybeans, HRW wheat, SRW wheat, HRS wheat). If you have specific questions or inquiries about Commodity Challenge, direct those to Usset as well.

The first version of Commodity Challenge was launched in February 2002, as a joint project of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Kevin McNew, president of GeoGrain.com. Commodity Challenge games remain free thanks to sponsorship support from Minnesota Soybean, Farm Credit and the North Central Risk Management Education Center.

For more information on agricultural business management, visit www.extension.umn.edu/AgBusiness and www.cffm.umn.edu.

Media Contact: Allison Sandve, U of M Extension, (612) 626-4077, ajsandve@umn.edu

While most growers prefer to get their crops off to an early start, early planting is not a requirement for high yields. In 2008 and 2011, when it was mid-May before half of Minnesota's corn acres were planted, state-average grain yields ranked third and fifth among Corn Belt states, respectively.

This is supported by University of Minnesota Extension corn planting date studies conducted at the University's Research and Outreach Centers. In a study from 1988 to 2003 at Lamberton, planting dates ranging from April 21 to May 6 produced grain yields within 1 percent of the maximum. In another study from 2009 to 2011 at Lamberton, Morris, and Waseca that was funded by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, grain yield was within 1 percent of the maximum when planting occurred between April 25 and May 10. In both studies, rapid decline in corn yield did not occur until planting was delayed beyond mid-May.

Corn requires soil temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for germination. However, once the last week of April is reached, corn planting should generally occur as soon as soils are dry enough, regardless of soil temperature. If corn is planted into soils that are too wet, the advantages of an earlier planting date can be negated due to soil compaction around the seed zone, which can result in poor growth of nodal roots and reduced uptake of water and nutrients.

A planting depth of 2 inches is generally optimal for most planting dates and soils, but can be deeper on coarse-textured soils to ensure that the seed is placed in moist soil. Avoid the temptation to plant corn shallow when soils are cold, as planting depths less than 1.75 inches increase the risk of poor nodal root development and root lodging later in the season.

In order to maximize economic return, a general guideline for growers in Minnesota is to stick with the planned seed choices until May 20 to 25. When planting occurs after May 20 to 25, it is wise to switch to hybrids that are 5 to 7 relative maturity units earlier than full season for the region.

For more resources on corn production from University of Minnesota Extension, visit www.extension.umn.edu/corn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/8/2013) —The increasing cost of forages, continuing fear of drought conditions, and extending winter season have many producers wondering about the productivity of their hay fields in 2013. While temperatures have been colder this winter, the good news is that an insulating layer of snow has persisted across most of the state for an extended period of time.

Overwintering success of forages is typically a combined function of climatic conditions and management decisions. Environmental factors such as snow cover, lethal temperatures, ice sheeting, and air-temperature fluctuation play important roles in plant survival from one growing season to the next. These effects are heavily influenced by stand age, variety genetics, fertility programs, and harvest schedules.

Some of the significant management factors affecting winter injury include species and variety selection, soil fertility, and cutting management.

Assessing alfalfa winter survival:

Stem counts (versus plants per square foot) better represent total production in a given area and account for variability in plant performance. Use stem counts to estimate current yield potential and assess root and crown health to determine future yield potential. Stand health based on stem densities per square foot can be assessed in the following manner:

1. Greater than 55 stems indicates density will not be a limiting factor,
2. The range between 40 and 55 stems is understood to represent some reduction in yield but probably more than adequate in years of low inventories and high value, and
3. Fewer than 40 stems indicate a poor stand and consideration for termination.

We suggest making the same assessments on second crop regrowth. Watch for slow green-up, uneven stands, or additional plant mortality. Winter injury and/or death can be delayed by the shock of cutting a weakened plant, resulting in additional stand losses. Whenever stand diminishes to the point of needing corrective measures, take time to determine the cause. Troubleshooting problem fields and identifying the cause of stand reduction can lead to better management decisions.

For a more detailed version of this column, visit University of Minnesota Extension's Crop News website at http://z.umn.edu/d29. For more information on forages, visit www.extension.umn.edu/forages.

There are two ways to resolve this inverse. One way is for new crop prices to rise and meet the higher nearby prices. This is how the inverse was resolved last year, as drought blanketed the Corn Belt. This scenario would be good news for Minnesota farmers. Minnesota, in general, fared better than most Corn Belt states in last year's drought, and a number of Minnesota producers still hold last year's crop in storage.

The other way to resolve the inverse is for old crop prices to collapse toward lower new crop values. History and the productive capacity of the Corn Belt suggest this is the more likely course of resolving the inverse in prices from old to new crop values. There is a double risk in the "normal crop" scenario. Not only could old crop prices collapse, new crop prices could sink even further. This does not bode well for the value of grain in storage, nor does it bode well for producers who have not started to price 2013 corn and soybeans.

Minnesota producers concerned about drought in 2013 seem to have that base covered. Crop insurance is in place, old crop grain is still in storage, and little action has been taken on pricing 2013 corn and soybeans. It may be time to consider the normal crop scenario. Today, new crop pricing opportunities remain at or above production costs. There is no guarantee that this will be true next fall. New crop sales are needed to balance the risk of a "non-drought" scenario.

I took a look at past years with similar inverses (1996, 2011 and 2012 in corn, 1997 and 2004 in soybeans). Analysis of the data offers more information about the resolution of old and new crop prices. Visit the University of Minnesota Extension website at www.extension.umn.edu/go/1135 for details.

Media Contact: Catherine Dehdashti, U of M Extension, (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu

Animal feeding operator owners and managers can use several techniques to manage odors and gas emissions; each has different costs and benefits. The feedlot air emissions treatment cost calculator can be used to compare alternative technologies and designs with different costs and benefits. The calculator has information on biofilters, covers, scrubbers, manure belts, vegetative buffer and anaerobic digesters.

The calculator was developed by University of Minnesota Extension economist Bill Lazarus, who is also a professor in the University's applied economics department. It was part of a multi-state, USDA-funded research project. The calculator was suggested by stakeholders for the project led by Kevin Janni, professor and Extension engineer. The group included producers and managers of swine, poultry and dairy operations, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, human medicine, veterinary medicine, local and state regulators, local and county elected officials, Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The videos build on an earlier project through which fact sheets described several practices for mitigating airborne emissions. One goal of the project was to provide information to help animal feeding operations manage odors and gas emissions.

"Bill's calculator is a great way for livestock owners and managers to compare techniques they are considering to manage odors and reduce gas emissions," Janni said. "They need to fit into the overall operation and management of the operation; they all cost money."

The calculator and videos are available online at www.extension.org/67055. The website includes links to factsheets, archived webinars and additional videos about good neighbor relations, odor policy considerations, odor setback tools, biofilters and covers.

For more information on manure management and air quality, visit www.extension.umn.edu/go/1134/.

Media Contact: Catherine Dehdashti, U of M Extension, (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu

ST. PAUL, Minn. (2/4/2013) —Farmers usually enjoy a yield boost when corn is planted following an alfalfa crop. The major reasons: reduced pest and disease pressure, better soil structure that enhances root growth and water infiltration, and an altered soil microbial community, says Jeff Coulter, a corn agronomist with University of Minnesota Extension.

Alfalfa also reduces nitrogen fertilizer needs in corn. Nitrogen fertilizer for first-year corn following a good alfalfa crop can often be reduced by up to 100 percent, and by about 50 percent for second-year corn. The nitrogen passed on to the corn is largely due to additions of nitrogen-rich inputs from alfalfa to soil organic matter.

These include alfalfa leaves and stems lost during harvest, alfalfa stand losses over time, turnover of thin alfalfa roots, and substances that exude out of alfalfa roots. They mineralize rapidly after alfalfa is terminated and release nitrogen for at least two years.

With funding from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council, and the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center, Coulter and co-workers recently completed on-farm research that confirms the nitrogen "credits" from alfalfa to corn. From 2009 to 2011, research on first-year nitrogen credits was conducted on 31 farms across Minnesota and Wisconsin with medium- to fine-textured soils. Only three of the 31 farms had increases in grain yield from adding nitrogen fertilizer to first-year corn after alfalfa. The three responsive farms had fine-textured soils and excessive early-season precipitation, which likely slowed mineralization. It was also found that nitrogen fertilizer rates could be reduced if the nitrogen was sidedressed rather than applied near planting.

In 2011 and 2012, research on second-year nitrogen credits was conducted on 11 farms in Minnesota with medium- to fine-textured soils. Surprisingly, four of 11 farms required no nitrogen fertilizer to maximize grain and silage yield. The economically optimum nitrogen rate varied among the seven responsive farms, but was often at least half as large as that for continuous corn. As in first-year corn, sidedress applications of nitrogen allowed growers to reduce fertilizer rates without sacrificing yield.

"Farmers are our active research partners, and help us perform the field operations," Coulter says. To help spread the word on the results, nine on-farm field days were held over the last three years and were attended growers and farm advisors managing over one million acres of farmland.

More details on University of Minnesota Extension corn production are available at z.umn.edu/corn.

Phosphorus in manure is a valuable resource for crop production when applied correctly and has proven to improve crop yield to higher levels than commercial fertilizer. In contrast, inappropriate use of animal manure has been reported to negatively impact the environment. Therefore, it's important to understand the forms of phosphorus in manure and how manure interacts with soil before improved manure management strategies can be developed.

Phosphorus in manure is present in the organic and inorganic forms. Those phosphorus forms can be further divided into dissolved and precipitated as inorganic minerals and organic compounds. The amount of phosphorus present in a manure sample is highly variable and depends on the animal species, animal age, duration of manure storage, type of manure storage and other factors. Manure testing is essential to determine the real concentration of phosphorus in a given sample at any given time.

The availability of the manure phosphorus is dependent on the quantity of the dissolved form, and also on the solubility of the precipitated minerals and organic compounds. The dissolved phosphorus is already in solution, and is highly mobile until it is in contact with soil particles, which provide sites where the phosphorus can attach and become less mobile. However, manure placed on the soil surface and without being incorporated is highly susceptible to runoff with rainwater. To assure that phosphorus stays in the field where it belongs, incorporation soon after manure application is very important.

Once manure is applied to soils, the soil pH and soil texture (clay content) will also have an important effect on how available manure phosphorus is. Soils with low pH (less than 7.0) will promote minerals to dissolve fast and the manure phosphorus will become available rather quickly, whereas soils with high pH (greater than 7.0, like soils in the western part of Minnesota) will dissolve more slowly. Studies are starting to report that the clay present in soils may interact with microbes and as a result affect mineralization of the organic phosphorus. Phosphorus in organic compounds must first be mineralized before it can become available for plant uptake. Research has shown that soils high in clay content (greater than 12 percent) might have lower mineralization of organic phosphorus.

The organic phosphorus may stay stored in the soil for more than one cropping season, which would provide a source of phosphorus for following growing seasons. This is also one of the forms of manure phosphorus that has been called residual manure phosphorus. The residual phosphorus from manure can be any form of the inorganic or organic phosphorus that did not dissolve and reacted with the soil in the first year after the manure application.

For more information on nutrient management in soils, visit University of Minnesota Extension at www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/nutrient-management.

Media Contact: Catherine Dehdashti, U of M Extension, (612) 625-0237, ced@umn.edu