Minnesota CropCast

It is easy to deliver soybeans to a local elevator, receive a check, and not put another thought into where those soybeans go.  But, the demand for those soybeans is what creates the price.  Understanding who buys our soybeans and what they are used for helps us all better understand what direction prices may go in the future.

Gordon Denny has been a farm kid from southern Indiana, a Marine, and a long-term employee with Bunge.  Today he is a knowledge center for the radical changes occurring in the global demand for soybeans and other oilseeds.  With increased demand for vegetable oils for renewable diesel, a rapid increase in soybean processing is occurring in the U.S.  A near-term increase in soybean processing of around 25% will have radical implications for the supply of oil, soybean meal, and whole soybeans for both domestic and international utilization.  

In this episode of Minnesota CropCast, Gordon helps us to better understand how the soybean world got to this place, and where it might go from here.  We ask Gordon where he thinks all of this extra meal will go.  Please join us on this episode of CropCast to find out.  Along the way, you are sure to learn a whole lot about the evolving supply and demand for soybeans and soybean products at the global scale.

In this episode, CropCast hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve visit with Tom Hoverstad, Researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center, Waseca, MN. Tom is one of the authors and researchers of the 2023 Corn Grain Field Crops Trial Results. The Minnesota Corn Evaluation Program is conducted by the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station to provide unbiased information for corn growers when they choose which brand of corn to purchase and grow. The program is financed in part by entry fees from private seed companies that choose to enter their hybrids and varieties for testing. Tom reviewed the 2023 growing season, corn yields and corn variety selection criteria that he has followed over the years. In addition, Seth Nave, University of Minnesota Extension soybean specialist discussed the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station performance testing of appropriately adapted public and private soybean entries. Seth reviewed the 2023 soybean growing season as the yields were impacted by variable rainfall across the state. The varietal trials evaluate soybean disease, soybean cyst nematode and yields in multi locations across Minnesota. Growers and ag professionals can review the 2023 Minnesota Field Crop Variety Trials at   https://varietytrials.umn.edu/   for barley, canola, corn grain, oat, soybean, spring wheat, winter rye, and winter wheat as well.

In this week’s CropCast, David Nicolai and Seth Naeve welcome Dr. Candice (Candy) Hirsch.  Dr. Hirsch is a Corn Geneticist in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota.  She is truly a superstar in a department long known for preeminence in the areas of maize breeding and genetics and has recently been awarded the University of Minnesota McKnight Presidential Professorship in Plant Genomics.  

While her work is extremely sophisticated and cutting-edge, Candy is focused on helping corn farmers in Minnesota and beyond.  In this podcast Candy discusses some of her research projects including studies of kennel integrity and factors affecting food quality that will be highly relatable to listeners.  Dr. Hirsch discusses how a big data approach that integrates environmental, genetic, and plant phenotypic data can be used to help solve important problems for producers, exporters, and food manufactures.  Candy discusses teaching and graduate education with Seth and Dave. She emphasizes her role in producing the next generation of researchers who will ask then next round of big questions.  

Please join us for another lively Minnesota CropCast.  

Hirsch Lab Website -- https://hirschlab.cfans.umn.edu/

In this special cross-over episode, CropCast hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve visit with three talented graduate students who work on Soybean Research Center related projects.  Mary Jane (Mjay) Espina is a PhD student with Aaron Lorenz and Bob Stupar.  Mjay is focused on Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC).  She is primarily interested in identifying the source(s) of resistance to IDC within soybean’s genome.  She hopes that understanding the genetics behind IDC will help her and us learn more about the physiology driving this disorder.  Alina Smolskaya is an MS student who is also advised by Drs. Stupar and Lorenz.  She is working on the genetics of very interesting soybean traits related to leaf shape and seed number per pod.  Leaf shape can play a role in whole plant photosynthesis and therefore productivity, and seeds per pod is an important yield component.  Master’s student Carlos Sanchez also joined the discussion.  Carlos is advised by Seth Naeve and his work has been conducted at a unique drainage and tillage research site near Wells, MN.  Carlos is interested in the environmental drivers behind yield benefits from drainage and has noted that very dry years can reduce or reverse benefits to artificial drainage.  Carlos is also looking at interactive effects of tillage, residue levels, soybean populations, seed treatments, and nitrogen carryover on drainage effects.

Have a listen to this special edition of MN CropCast.  You will appreciate the passion of these young scientists.

University of Minnesota Soybean Research Center – https://soybeanresearchcenter.umn.edu/

Stupar Lab webpage. – https://stuparlab.cfans.umn.edu/

Soybean Extension webpage – www.soybeans.umn.edu

In today’s CropCast, Seth Naeve welcomes, Dr. Kelsey Andersen Onofre, an Assistant Professor and Wheat and Forage Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University.  Kelsey is joining us through a collaboration with the US Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, a national multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium whose goal is to develop effective control measures that minimize the threat of Fusarium Head Blight (scab) for producers, processors and consumers of wheat and barley. USWBSI funds over 150 research projects in 30 American states. You can learn more at scabusa.org .

Kelsey discusses the 2023 wheat crop in Kansas and highlights the drought impacts on production.  Seth and Kelsey chat about the impact of wheat scab and it’s presence in years like the current one.  They discuss the impact of Fusarium Head Blight and the economic impacts.  Management through variety selection and fungicide application is possible, but it can be especially challenging for producers in areas with either infrequent challenges from Scab or low yielding environments where intensive management can be economically infeasible. 

Please join us for another Minnesota CropCast.  

In this episode, CropCast hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve visits with Dr. Fabian Fernandez, Professor at the University of Minnesota Department of Soil, Water and Climate. Fabian is a state Extension Specialist in Soil Nutrient Management with an emphasis in soil nitrogen. Fabian provides an overview of his background, education, and career. Fabian was born and raised in the Pampas region of Argentina. He earned his Ph.D. degree from Purdue University, and M.S. and B.S. degrees from Brigham Young University. The research and extension education programs of Dr. Fernández focus on soil nutrient management and plant mineral nutrition. His current work at the University of Minnesota concentrates primarily on economic and environmental effects of nutrient management in corn cropping systems. He seeks to identify and implement nitrogen management practices that are sustainable in terms of both minimizing negative environmental impacts, specifically on water quality, and improving crop yields.

In addition to highlighting his background and academic activities, Fabian visits with Dave and Seth during the podcast about various nitrogen management recommendations for corn growers in the fall of 2023 and the spring of 2024.  Fabain reviews the best management recommendations regarding soil temperatures during fall applications, fertilizer product types, inhibitors and recommended nitrogen application rates based on economics, environments, and soil types.

During the podcast several important internet links were mentioned regarding soil nutrient management as influence by environmental considerations and economics.

Nitrogen Management University of Minnesota Extension: https://extension.umn.edu/nutrient-management/nitrogen

Fertilizing Corn in Minnesota: https://extension.umn.edu/crop-specific-needs/fertilizing-corn-minnesota

Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator: https://www.cornnratecalc.org/

Minnesota Department of Agriculture 6-inch soil temperature network: https://www.mda.state.mn.us/protecting/soilprotection/soiltemp

In this week’s MN CropCast, Seth Naeve and David Nicolai welcomed University of Minnesota Extension Specialists; Dr. Jeff Coulter and Dr. Dean Malvick. Coulter is an Extension Corn Specialist and Malvick is an Extension Plant Pathologist specialist for corn and soybeans. These state specialists discussed the selection criteria for growers to consider when choosing their 2024 corn and soybean seeds. While crop yield data from multiple sites in 2024 is extremely important, yield stability over time and environments is essential in the selection process. Dr’s Coulter and Malvick also provided advice on 2024 agronomic selection criteria when ordering corn and soybean seed such as corn standability, tolerance to diseases and drought plus other agronomic factors along with soybean disease resistance, iron chlorosis and SCN tolerance. Both specialists emphasized that knowing individual field histories which detail past disease occurrences, crop rotations, fertility, soil types and yields is critical in making final variety selections.

Please join us for another lively Minnesota CropCast.  

In this week’s CropCast, Seth Naeve and David Nicolai welcomed veteran agronomists, Dr. Tom Peters and Zach Fore. Dr. Tom Peters is a sugarbeet agronomist specializing in weed control at North Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota, Zach works for Pioneer/Corteva in Northwestern Minnesota as a regional agronomist and researcher. These two gentlemen reviewed the crop growing season and early harvest results for sugarbeets, corn and soybeans in western Minnesota. They discussed early planting delays, limited seasonal rainfall, weed concerns and why some early yield results were better than expected. Factors such as genetic improvement and cultural management contributed significantly to the improvement for some area yields. Tom and Zach also provided advice on 2024 selection criteria when ordering corn and soybean (SCN tolerance) inputs as well as pest management & crop rotation of sugarbeets, corn and soybeans.

Please join us for another lively Minnesota CropCast.  

In today’s CropCast, Seth Naeve and David Nicolai welcome veteran regional agronomists, Jay Zielske and Jared Goplen.  Jay works for Corteva in south central Minnesota, while Jared works for Wyffels Hybrids covering western Minnesota, northwest Iowa, and a few counties in South Dakota.  These two gentlemen shared their observations on harvest progress and reported yields in their areas.  One cannot discuss variable yields in 2023 without a focus on what brought us here.  Planting delays, poor stands, and a chronic drought stressed the crops. In contrast, plant diseases tended to be reduced. If yields are slightly better than anticipated, where did those bushels come from?  Jay and Jared also provided advice on selection criteria when ordering 2024 corn and soybean seed inputs.

Dr. Craig Sheaffer has been on the faculty in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics since 1977, where he has been teaching and conducting research. Dr. Sheaffer’s teaching experience has consisted of an expansive list of agronomy, forage, food and environment focused courses taught at the University of Minnesota.  In this episode, Craig sits down with David Nicolai and Seth Naeve to talk about his teaching career at the University of Minnesota and his many collaborators, colleagues, and friends there. Craig commented on his teaching style, classroom technologies, the benefit of student internships and the changing student demographics over his tenure. Craig discussed changes that he has seen in teaching in Minnesota and talked about his use of new and innovative teaching methods for both classroom and extension audiences over the years. This is Part 2 of a two-part podcast series that touches on some of the highlights of Dr. Sheaffer’s illustrious career. Part 1 emphasized his research efforts while here, his teaching career at the University of Minnesota are highlighted.