UMN Extension Nutrient Management

06/02/2026

What should farmers know about soil types and tile drainage when making sidedress decisions?

Sidedress application in Faribault, MN. Photo: UMN Extension Brad Carlson and Dan Kaiser discuss sidedressing in today's Advancing Nitrogen ...

06/01/2026

Saline soils, poor drainage and the high calcium carbonate content of soils in the Red River Valley result in reduced soybean yields, but research is looking at how to overcome those challenges.

Saline soils, poor drainage and the high calcium carbonate content of soils in that region result in reduced soybean yields, but research is looking at how to overcome those challenges.

05/29/2026

The research showed that the drainage benefited soybean yields in dry years because it removed the snowmelt from fields and resulted in warmer soil temperatures so the crop could be planted earlier in the spring than undrained plots.

Removing the snowmelt water also allowed sugarbeets to be planted earlier than if the field was not drained, which resulted in yields that were higher than in previous wet years when the crop was grown on the acreage.

Research at the Northwest Research and Outlook Center in Crookston showed fertilizer application shouldn't change when a field is tiled. But drain tile seems to increase yields for some crops.

05/27/2026

When it comes to in-season fertility, the crop itself is one of the best diagnostic tools a grower has — especially in a year when rainfall could be spotty and nitrogen losses could be uneven across the field.

“The easiest thing that they can do is just watch the crop, pay attention to the crop, look to see, does it start to get that yellow tint to it,” said Jeff Strock, Professor with the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton. A 12-inch or two-foot soil sample remains the gold standard for checking nitrate levels, but plant symptoms can flag when a side-dress — or, in wetter conditions, an aerial application — is warranted.

The same head-on-a-swivel approach applies to weeds, diseases and insects. Strock urged producers to scout regularly, stay in close contact with their agronomists and watch especially for late-season pests like soybean aphids.

For now, his message to Minnesota farmers is a steady one. “Sit back and do what you can out there. Pay attention to your crop and watch it grow,” Strock said, “and make sure eventually you get that combine tuned up and ready for fall.”

UMN Southwest Research & Outreach Center American Ag Network

(LAMBERTON, MN) — Spring planting across southern Minnesota has unfolded in much the same rhythm as last year — early field access, good seedbeds and farmers that wasted no time getting the crop in the ground. The

05/26/2026

The optimum window for making sidedress nitrogen applications in corn is narrower – and potentially earlier – than many growers might realize.

Agronomists explain why nitrogen must be present in the root zone well before the crop’s daily demand peaks.

05/22/2026

Dry conditions combined with cooler temperatures may be resulting in apparent nutrient deficiencies. Where soil tests show nutrients are adequate, any deficiencies showing up in corn at this point are likely cosmetic. Once soils warm up and plants and roots start to more actively grow, plants should be able to better access nutrients in the soil.

By Liz Stahl, Extension Educator – Crops, Jeff Coulter, Extension Corn Agronomist, and Matt Pfarr, Extension Educator-Crops Corn emerging in...

05/21/2026

"The most important N is pre plant. The beet needs enough N to develop leaves that cover the row. The leaves act like a solar panel to bring in energy and convert it to sugar. By July 1, the rows are closed and there's enough mineralization to produce a good quality beet." - John Lamb

Photo: University of Minnesota Extension Minnesota is the nation's top producer of sugarbeets by acreage. Today we're discussing sugarbeet n...

05/15/2026

Oat crop is growing at Rosemount, MN research site. This is a new trial for 2026 funded by AFREC taking a new look at nitrogen needs for oats. Differences in the plots are the three different varieties we are comparing.

05/15/2026

Specialist Dan Kaiser describes N requirements during three key corn uptake periods & the potential impacts of shorting the corn during the time of peak demand. Learn more at: z.umn.edu/nitrogen-nuggets

05/14/2026

"You can overfertilize soybean – and yield reductions have been pretty common across the southern part of Minnesota. It’s maybe only a bushel, but with the money spent on fertilizer, losing a bushel is a double negative. That’s a big thing to watch out for."

University of Minnesota Extension nutrient management specialist Dan Kaiser recently finished a four year study on potassium (K) fertilizer...