Cropping Issues in Northwest Minnesota

Recent, significant rain events have filled drainage ditches both within and along the outside of fields. Some of this flood water has backed up further into the field from ditches that border the field ( Figure 1 ). This article is both for those that have ponded water in fields in which their crop has already emerged and for those producers that just recently planted after scrambling in the last week to get the rest of their 2024 soybean crop seeded.  Figure 1. Ponded water in a corn field near the drainage ditch on the field edge (Photo: Angie Peltier). What saturated or flooded soils do to developing plants. The dangers to roots from flooded soils are many. Flooded soils quickly become devoid of oxygen - which is essential for proper root function. We know that plant leaves are able to use the sun's energy to convert CO 2 and water to oxygen and glucose through a process known as photosynthesis. Respiration is sort of the opposite of photosynthesis, where below-ground, oxygen

Since my arrival to northwest Minnesota, I have been a part of the UMN black cutworm monitoring network managed by IPM specialist Bruce Potter from the UMN’s Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton. As part of the network each spring I put a trap in a tree on the edge of my rural property just to the east of Crookston (Figure 1). The operative trap components include a sticky surface on which to trap black cutworm (BCW) moths and a pheromone lure to attract them (Figure 2).  Figure 1. Pheromone trap with a lure to attract black cutworm moths. Figure 2. A black cutworm moth caught in a pheromone trap (photo: Angie Peltier).   Pheromones, or the sex hormones that are produced by female BCW moths, are impregnated into small rubber lures that are placed in the trap. These BCW pheromones attract male moths that are looking for a mate.   Unsuspecting males then fly into the trap and become stuck on the sticky surface. Traps are checked each morning, and moths identified, counte