Nitrogen application timing trial
Examples
Fall vs Spring
All Preplant vs Side dress/Split
Nitrogen timing additional requirements
- For best results, use the same nitrogen source applied at a different time
- Use the same equipment for both treatments applied at a different time only
- Manure applications are eligible. Provide manure information on Crop Management Form
Examples
UAN vs Anhydrous Ammonia
Nitrogen source additional requirements
- Use the same nitrogen rate, source, timing, or stabilizer applied with a different nitrogen source only
- For best results, using the same nitrogen placement is preferred
- Contact NMI Representative with other suggestions
Nitrogen source trial
Examples
UAN vs Anhydrous Ammonia
Nitrogen source additional requirements
- Use the same nitrogen rate, source, timing, or stabilizer applied with a different nitrogen source only
- For best results, using the same nitrogen placement is preferred
- Contact NMI Representative with other suggestions
These sites are newer to the program. They are designed to answer questions that farmers have about nutrient management and to inform the University of Minnesota’s current nitrogen fertilizer recommendations.
Additional compensation is available for farmers and crop advisers participating in advanced rate trials. Participating farmers are compensated $1,500 and crop advisers are compensated $700 for each field trial.
Advanced trial additional requirements
- Must have corn-corn or corn-soybean rotation history
- No manure or alfalfa history in the last 5 years
- Install a minimum of 1 test strip at least 30 ft wide, and 1/2 mile long or multiple test strips equivalent to a 1/2 mile (2640 ft)
- Nitrogen rate test strips contain 5-6 unique N rates and each N rate replicated 3 times
- 40-50 lb difference between N rates
- Must include zero rate check strip (check strip can only include N contributions from DAP or MAP applications)
- Soil types, topography, drainage, and field history should be consistent across the trial area
- Variable rate technology (VRT) and yield monitors to aid in field trial design, installation, and harvest
Advanced Rate Trial
These sites are newer to the program. They are designed to answer questions that farmers have about nutrient management and to inform the University of Minnesota’s current nitrogen fertilizer recommendations.
Additional compensation is available for farmers and crop advisers participating in advanced rate trials. Participating farmers are compensated $1,500 and crop advisers are compensated $700 for each field trial.
Advanced trial additional requirements
- Must have corn-corn or corn-soybean rotation history
- No manure or alfalfa history in the last 5 years
- Install a minimum of 1 test strip at least 30 ft wide, and 1/2 mile long or multiple test strips equivalent to a 1/2 mile (2640 ft)
- Nitrogen rate test strips contain 5-6 unique N rates and each N rate replicated 3 times
- 40-50 lb difference between N rates
- Must include zero rate check strip (check strip can only include N contributions from DAP or MAP applications)
- Soil types, topography, drainage, and field history should be consistent across the trial area
- Variable rate technology (VRT) and yield monitors to aid in field trial design, installation, and harvest
Examples
Preplant: Urea 150 lb N/acre vs 120 lb N/acre
Side dress: 28% UAN 20 gal (60 lb N/acre) vs (30 lb N/acre)
Dealer Nitrogen Programs comparisons (Greenseeker, VRT, Adapt N, Climate Corp, 360 Yield Center)
Side dress: 28% UAN 20 gal (60 lb N/acre) vs (30 lb N/acre)
Dealer Nitrogen Programs comparisons (Greenseeker, VRT, Adapt N, Climate Corp, 360 Yield Center)
Nitrogen rate additional requirements
- For best results, only use N sources without additional nutrients in the formulation when applying the different rates. Applications of starter, AMS, MAP, DAP, or blends of products should not be used for the nitrogen rate difference.
- 30 lb N/acre minimum rate separation
- No manure or alfalfa history within the past two years for this trial
Examples
Preplant: Urea 60 lb N/acre vs 30 lb N/acre
Side dress: 28% UAN 20 gal (60 lb N/acre) vs 10 gal (30 lb N/acre)
Evaluate first and/or second year manure nitrogen credits
Nitrogen rate after manure additional requirements
- Use the same commercial nitrogen source applied at a different rate only following manure (30 lb N/acre minimum rate separation)
- Use the same manure source, rate and application method over the field area
- Account for manure source, analysis, application rate, and appropriate credits in the Crop Management Form
- Current manure test for nitrogen should meet current local and state permitted standards
Examples
N-Serve, Instinct, ESN, Agrotain
Nitrogen stabilizer additional requirements
- Use the same nitrogen rate, source, timing, and placement for both treatments
- Comparisons between different stabilizer products, or blends of products, can be used as long as all other inputs are consistent
- Read and follow the stabilizer label for the recommended application rates
- Manure applications with a stabilizer are eligible. Provide manure information on Crop Management Form. Please contact NMI Representative first
Examples
Fall vs Spring
All Preplant vs Side dress/Split
Nitrogen timing additional requirements
- For best results, use the same nitrogen source applied at a different time
- Use the same equipment for both treatments applied at a different time only
- Manure applications are eligible. Provide manure information on Crop Management Form
Examples
UAN vs Anhydrous Ammonia
Nitrogen source additional requirements
- Use the same nitrogen rate, source, timing, or stabilizer applied with a different nitrogen source only
- For best results, using the same nitrogen placement is preferred
- Contact NMI Representative with other suggestions
These sites are newer to the program. They are designed to answer questions that farmers have about nutrient management and to inform the University of Minnesota’s current nitrogen fertilizer recommendations.
Additional compensation is available for farmers and crop advisers participating in advanced rate trials. Participating farmers are compensated $1,500 and crop advisers are compensated $700 for each field trial.
Advanced trial additional requirements
- Must have corn-corn or corn-soybean rotation history
- No manure or alfalfa history in the last 5 years
- Install a minimum of 1 test strip at least 30 ft wide, and 1/2 mile long or multiple test strips equivalent to a 1/2 mile (2640 ft)
- Nitrogen rate test strips contain 5-6 unique N rates and each N rate replicated 3 times
- 40-50 lb difference between N rates
- Must include zero rate check strip (check strip can only include N contributions from DAP or MAP applications)
- Soil types, topography, drainage, and field history should be consistent across the trial area
- Variable rate technology (VRT) and yield monitors to aid in field trial design, installation, and harvest
Examples of additional trials include:
-
Nitrogen rate following alfalfa
-
Cover crops
January 6, 2023
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has confirmed the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Watonwan County for the first time. There are now 38 counties in the state, including Watonwan, with EAB.
An employee with the University of Minnesota Extension contacted the MDA after suspecting a group of trees in the town of Butterfield was infested with EAB. MDA staff were able to find EAB larvae and collect samples. Federal identification confirmed emerald ash borer.
EAB was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. The insect larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Often, the trees show several signs of infestation because of this. Woodpeckers like to feed on EAB larvae, and woodpecker holes may indicate the presence of emerald ash borer. Also, EAB tunneling can cause the bark to split open, revealing characteristic S-shaped galleries underneath.
Because this is the first time EAB has been identified in Watonwan County, the MDA is enacting an emergency quarantine of the county, which limits the movement of firewood and ash material out of the area.
The MDA issues quarantines for all areas known to have EAB to reduce the risk of further spreading the tree-killing insect.
A virtual informational meeting for residents and tree care professionals in Watonwan County will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. Experts from the MDA will give a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session.
Emerald Ash Borer Virtual Informational Meeting:
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
10-11 a.m.
Register at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab
The public will also have an opportunity to provide input on the proposal to add Watonwan County’s emergency quarantine to the state’s formal quarantine. The MDA is taking comments on the proposed formal quarantine now through February 17, 2023, and recommends adopting the quarantine on February 21, 2023. The proposed quarantine language can be found at www.mda.state.mn.us/eab.
Comments can be made during the virtual meeting or by contacting:
Kimberly Thielen Cremers
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Kimberly.TCremers@state.mn.us
There is more EAB information on the MDA website.
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Media Contact
Brittany Raveill, MDA Communications
651-201-6131
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us
January 4, 2023
Update: Due to overwhelming interest, the MDA's Down Payment Assistance Grant program has closed its applications and waitlist for the first round of funding. The second round of applications will re-open on July 1, 2023.
Applications are now being accepted for a new grant program to support Minnesotans purchasing their first farm. The Down Payment Assistance Grant Program is managed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and offers dollar-for-dollar matching up to $15,000 for qualified small farmers to purchase farmland.
The MDA’s Rural Finance Authority (RFA) is awarding this funding using a first-come, first-served application process that will open at 9 a.m. on January 4, 2023. The Minnesota Legislature appropriated $500,000 in Fiscal Year 2023 for these grants. The RFA expects to award between 30 and 40 grants in this cycle, depending on the size of requests. A second cycle of $750,000 in funding has been secured and will be made available on July 1, 2023.
Farmers must be Minnesota residents who will earn less than $250,000 annually in gross agricultural sales and plan on providing the majority of the day-to-day physical labor on the farm for at least five years. Applicants must not have previous direct or indirect farmland ownership.
Applications will continue to be accepted until a waitlist of 100 applicants forms, or May 15, 2023, whichever comes first. Approved applications will remain valid for purchases closing within 90 days of approval or until May 15, 2023, whichever comes first.
The application and more information on the Down Payment Assistance Grant can be found at https://www.mda.state.mn.us/down-payment-assistance-grant-program.
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Media Contact
Logan Schumacher, MDA Communications
651-201-6193
Logan.Schumacher@state.mn.us
