Cropping Issues in Northwest Minnesota

The following press release was written and posted by Minnesota Department of Agriculture Staff in St. Paul, MN. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is hosting a series of free waste pesticide collections available to eleven northwestern Minnesota counties. Residents from Beltrami, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Lake of the Woods, Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau counties may attend any of the five collection sites in August. The program accepts unwanted, unusable agricultural and consumer-type pesticides including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and rodenticides. However, crop oils, adjuvants, pesticide rinsate, fertilizer, treated seed, contaminated soil, and empty pesticide containers will not be accepted. The collections are open to farmers, homeowners, commercial pesticide applicators, golf courses, lawn care companies, structural pest control operators, and other pesticide users. No pre-registration for the MDA events is required. Th

This article was written by Angie Peltier, Anthony Hanson and Jared Goplen, UMN Extension educators. UMN Extension soybean IPM scouts traveled across northwest and west central Minnesota completing another week of data collection on July 16. When visiting each soybean field, scouts first sweep for grasshoppers in the grassy area next to the field and then begin walking in a zig-zag pattern throughout the field, stopping along the way to growth stage the crop and examine 31 plants for soybean aphids, aphids that have been colonized by parasitic wasps, bean leaf beetles and spider mites. Growth stages. For the most part, soybeans in northwest counties were either just beginning to bloom or had reached full bloom ( Figure 1 ). Further south, soybeans had all reached full bloom with some crops reaching the full pod growth stage. Figure 1 . Growth stages of soybeans scouted between July 5 and 16 as part of the UMN Extension 2021 soybean IPM survey. Map source: NDSU IPM program.

 "Gallows" humor is often used to alleviate tension or stress related to situations that aren't the least bit funny - hence the title of this article.  The drought conditions that are currently so severe throughout much of the state began in northwest Minnesota with a dry fall in 2020, which was followed by a dry winter, spring and now summer. This weekend is going to be windy, with forecast temperatures in the 90's. High temperatures in the 90's are forecast to be with us until at least next week Friday, and only up to a 20% chance of showers/thunderstorms in the forecast for Crookston on Tuesday night, Wednesday and Friday. Long story, short: it is very dry, forecast to get drier and our crops will bear the brunt.  Droughts are obviously beyond human control and this lack of control can add to a crop or livestock producer's stress. While there is some comfort in being in the 'same boat' as friends and neighbors alike, drought-associated stress can b

This article was written by Angie Peltier and Jared Goplen, UMN Extension crops educators and Anthony Hanson, UMN Extension IPM educator. Soybean aphids.   The Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council has sponsored a UMN Extension-run soybean IPM survey. Scouts Emily Schmiedeberg, Kyle Reese and Tyler Goplen have been busy scouting soybean fields throughout west-central and northwest Minnesota and have encountered what is turning out (so far) to be an uneventful growing season from a soybean aphid perspective (Figure 1). Figure 1. Soybean fields scouted for pests in the two-week period of June 28 through July 9, 2021. Map credit: NDSU IPM Program. Very few fields with soybean aphid infestations and very low population densities have been observed in infested fields.   In northern Minnesota, cold winter temperatures may have reduced survival of overwintering eggs. Statewide, hot, windy weather when aphids were moving from buckthorn to soybeans likely affected colonization

Grasshoppers have reached treatment threshold population densities in some small grains fields in northwest Minnesota. In some fields this treatment threshold has been reached twice this year. As drought-stressed small grains begin to mature and harvest begins, these insects will be looking for a new food source and may decide to move into neighboring soybean fields.  UMN Extension has a webpage devoted to how best to scout for and determine whether grasshoppers population densities or feeding injury have reached a treatment threshold .

As you may have also noticed, after covid-19 vaccinations commenced and restrictions on gathering began to lift, people seem to be very glad to be around other people, lingering to chat just a little bit longer than they had before our lives were upended. Last year's UMN Northwest Research & Outreach Center (NWROC) Crop & Soils Day in-person event was cancelled and researchers recorded short YouTube videos to keep folks updated on the latest research. In 2021, folks at the NWROC are very excited to again welcome members of the public to an in-person Crops & Soils Day program on July 21, 2021! For those that have attended one of these events in the past, registration will take place and buses will leave for tours from a different location: NWROC's maintenance/farm operations building located just south of county highway 71 across from the UMC campus. Parking will be just across the street from the NWROC offices where the Youngquist Auditorium is located.  The morn