Cropping Issues in Northwest Minnesota

This article, written by Extension post-doctoral researcher Anthony Hanson and Extension entomologist Robert Koch, was originally posted in Minnesota Crop News .  On January 31, 2019, most of Minnesota had morning lows near or below -30°F (Figure 1). Cold winters help prevent many potential pest insects from establishing here or requires species that cannot survive our winters like potato leaf hopper or black cutworm to migrate up from southern states. Extreme cold can also knock back species that are established here. Figure 1. Morning lows on Jan. 31, 2019; U.S. National Phenology Network: www.usanpn.org.        

Figure. The drainage basin for the Red River of the North (image credit: USGS). The March 15 forecast provided by the National Weather Service’s Hydrologic Prediction Service predicts that -provided we receive no significant rain events and the spring thaw continues at a slow and steady pace- the Red River of the North has a 95% chance of exceeding major flood stages of 30, 37, 36 and 49 feet in Fargo , Halstad , Olso , and Pembina , respectively; East Grand Forks and Drayton have a 95% chance of coming within inches of major flood stages of 46 and 42 feet, respectively. The National Weather Service also provides hydrologic assessments of flooding probabilities for other major rivers, such as the Red Lake River, that meander through regional population centers. Extension resources for preparing for floods and other natural disasters.