In this week’s CropCast, Dr. Seth Naeve, extension soybean specialist and David Nicolai, extension crops educator welcomed University of Minnesota and North Dakota State Extension Specialists; Dr. Jeff Coulter and Dr. Tom Peters. Dr. Jeff Coulter is an extension corn specialist and Dr. Tom Peters is an extension weed specialist in sugar beets. These three state specialists discussed optimum planting criteria for growers to consider when planting their 2025 corn, soybean and sugar beet seed inputs. They reviewed specific guidelines regarding the most favorable planting depths, planting dates, planting rates and soil temperature for these Minnesota crops. They covered the practices to ensure good seed-to-soil contact based on optimal soil moisture conditions when soils are deemed “in good dry conditions” as influenced not just by soil temperatures but also by variety maturity and calendar dates as we move in the last half of April. They also discussed whether to plant longer- or shorter-season varieties based on the calendar, planting delays and soil/moisture conditions. Early season weed control was favored in all crops, especially sugar beets when grown in longer rotations by utilizing appropriate pre-emergence herbicides favored by the incorporation into the soil profile via timely spring rains. For more detailed crop planting recommendations please consult the University of Minnesota Extension field crop web sites at Soybean Planting, Corn Planting or Sugar Beet Growing.

Curtis Mahnken, Agricultural Economist with the University of Minnesota Center for Farm Financial Management was a recent guest with the University of Minnesota CropCast podcast with co-hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve. Curtis reviewed the results of a recent analysis study concerning Minnesota 2024 Farm income.

This analysis includes data representing approximately 13% of Minnesota’s farms with gross incomes over $250,000 annually. It was compiled from 2,198 participants in the Minnesota State Farm Business Management programs and 115 members of the Southwest Farm Business Management Association. The data is collected by FINBIN (finbin.umn.edu), a database that provides farm-level financial data, commodity-specific reports and benchmark reports for peer comparison. According to the data the median net farm income for Minnesota farms dropped to $21,964 in 2024, marking the lowest level this century. Falling crop prices coupled with below-trendline crop yields due to weather extremes resulted in low incomes, especially for crop producers.

In addition to reviewing the results of the 2024 farm income analysis, Curtis discussed a new free farm income decision aid software tool for use by Minnesota farmers and ag professionals from the Center for Farm Financial Management called “CropCost” which will help to determine the cost of production for field and specialty crops. CropCost is designed to help identify the cost of production for each crop you grow, as well as breakeven cost of production at varying yields and expense amounts.

The Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota develops software, web applications and educational programs focused on farm financial planning, financial analysis, business planning and commodity marketing for farmers and ranchers, educators, lenders, small business owners and other ag professionals.

Curtis Mahnken joined the Center for Farm Financial Management in 2010 as an Extension Economist. Prior to arriving at the center, he spent four years with the University of Kentucky as an Area Extension Specialist in Farm Business Management. He grew up on a 100 cow dairy farm in southern Illinois and has been described as having milk running through his veins.

Ed Usset, Grain Marketing Economist at the Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota was the guest for the March 19th podcast, Minnesota CropCast. Since 2001, Ed has been writing and executing marketing plans for his mythical farms; a corn and soybean operation in Southwestern Minnesota and a wheat farm in the Red River Valley of Northwestern Minnesota. During the podcast Ed emphasized the economic importance for grain growers to complete the final marketing of their 2024 crop still in storage by this July. Ed also provided suggestions and target prices to help grain producers forward price their grain based on understanding seasonal market patterns after harvest especially during times of lower commodity prices. He also reviewed the potential financial impacts and concerns of economic constraints on the export of feed grains in 2025. Finally, Seth Naeve, University of Minnesota Soybean Extension Specialist discussed the needs and demands for soybean exports by various countries in Asia as it affects soybeans which are grown in the upper Midwest in terms of protein and amino acid content based on his recent trade trips to the area.

In the episode, Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve chat with Bob Koch, Director of the Institute for Ag Professionals at the University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Extension Entomologist. In this podcast Bob discussed the Institute for Ag Professionals 2025 educational offerings, highlighting the January Field Crop Research Updates for Ag Professionals as the first educational event for 2025. The University of Minnesota Field School (St. Paul Campus) will be held on July 29-30 followed by the Crop Pest Management Short Course in December.

In this podcast, Dave and Seth discussed with Bob how the University of Minnesota Research Updates for Ag Professionals event can help Ag Professionals and growers find research-based strategies to deal with today's changing pests, diseases, varieties, and nutrient and environmental recommendations. Participants at each of the five locations located across Minnesota will be able to visit in person with experienced university researchers and colleagues to discuss topics of interest to their region.

In January 2025, the Research updates will be held in Waseca (January 7), Oronoco (January 9), Willmar (January 14), Lamberton (January 15) and Crookston (January 16). Program details including schedule, presentation titles and speakers for each session can be found on the Research Updates website. Both the Waseca and Lamberton sites will feature an expanded program this year of interest to both ag professionals and crop producers.

Follow this link for online registration: Register online

In this week’s CropCast, Seth Naeve and David Nicolai welcomed Dr. Dean Malvick, University of Minnesota Extension plant pathologist for corn and soybeans. Dean discussed the selection and Corn Tar Spot management criteria for growers to consider when choosing their 2025 corn seed inputs and crop inputs. While crop yield data from multiple sites in 2024 is extremely important, yield stability over time as affected by disease resistance for corn tar spot is essential in the selection process.

Dr. Malvick provided a review of the corn tar spot disease biology and the 2024 spread of the disease in corn production fields this year across Minnesota and into adjoining states. Dean specifically provided what is known and what is not known about progression and incidence of the disease occurrence in relation to weather, environment, wind spread and crop rotation effects. Because of the many disease risk factors that can occur each year there is not a simple answer to managing this disease. Dean discussed these factors and possible management controls such as hybrid corn selection, along with the use and timing of foliar fungicides. He also reviewed the best management practice for timely scouting for the presence of the disease in the summer of the growing season to provide more information when determining the use of corn foliar fungicides.

To see a distribution map where tar spot has been confirmed and real-time disease activity during the growing season in the US, visit https://corn.ipmpipe.org/tarspot/.

To learn more about the identification, biology, weather and research trials relating to the management of corn tar spot please refer to a previous episode of a University of Minnesota Strategic Farming webcast report from 2023.

Curt Burns, a farmer and independent crop consultant from South Central Minnesota joins Dave and Seth for a chat about the 2024 crop and soybean harvest. Curt farms in the Steward area and supports other farming operations as an independent crop consultant with C.B. Agronomics in Sibley, Renville, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Kandihohyi Counties.

Dave and Seth chat with Curt about the soybean harvest progress and yields. The exceptionally dry and warm fall conditions have left Minnesota soybeans in an unusually dry condition that has led to yield losses for the farmer who is selling overly dry soybeans plus significant field losses due to shattering and harvest loss. Curt discusses his opinions related to yield losses due to the excess spring and summer rainfall and late drought conditions and reports on the soybean yields farmers are seeing in his region. Curt chats with Seth and Dave about variety selection for both corn and soybean. Curt is concerned about other fall activities during this very dry fall. Soil tests may be particularly accurate and will be difficult to pull, and warm and dry soils will lead to N losses for aggressive farmers.

Join Dave and Seth for another great Minnesota CropCast with Curt Burns.

This week’s University of Minnesota Extension "Minnesota CropCast” host Dave Nicolai has as his guest Dr. Tom Peters, Extension Sugarbeet weed specialist for the University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University. Tom provided an update on sugarbeet harvest progress and challenges this growing season for both the Red River Valley and southern Minnesota sugarbeet growing areas. In addition, Tom reviewed the major weed problems, herbicide options and what the future may hold in terms of new herbicide technologies. Finally, Tom provided an in-depth update about his 2024 weed control research programs and recommendations to consider when planning for 2025 weed control in rotated crops in sugarbeet programs.

Ed Usset, Grain Marketing Economist Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota was the guest for episode 39 of Minnesota CropCast. Since 2001, Ed has been writing and executing marketing plans for his mythical farms; a corn and soybean operation in Southwestern Minnesota and a wheat farm in the Red River Valley of Northwestern Minnesota. Throughout the discussion, Ed emphasizes the importance for grain growers to forward price their grain based on understanding seasonal market patterns after harvest especially during times of lower commodity prices. He also reviews some of the common mistakes in marketing in terms of timing grain sales. Finally, the discussion covers how national production and international demand factors may impact the 2024-2025 marketing year.