UMN Extension Nutrient Management Podcast

We continue our conversation about nitrogen conservation and water quality on Advancing Nitrogen Smart. Today in Part 2, Brad Carlson and Jeff Vetsch continue discussing new technologies that may help address nitrogen loss, such as passive sensors and crop modeling systems. How might future tools such as AI play a part? How is precision testing affected by timing? In what ways can hybrid engineering, and further efficiencies in inhibitors be leveraged? This and much more on today's episode.

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Jeff Vetsch, researcher at the Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca)

Additional resources:

• 2025 Nitrogen Conference
• How to interpret a water test for nitrate
• Nitrogen Smart

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Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Today on the podcast we focus on soybean nutrient management. Our four soybean and nutrient management panelists from across Minnesota and North Dakota explain their research trials, and discuss some preliminary results in the region. Also, what should growers keep in mind as we transition into 2025? What are the panelists' concerns about IDC? That and much more on our last episode of 2024. 

Guests:

• Lindsay Malone, Assistant professor, Climate Smart Approaches to Agriculture (NDSU)
• Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston)
• Seth Naeve, Extension soybean agronomist (St. Paul)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional Resources:

• Growing soybean
• Is it worth applying sulfur to your soybean crop?
• Chloride and soybean: What to know about potash fertilizer management

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Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Support for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

After spending last episode talking about the background and history of nitrogen rate recommendations in Minnesota, today on episode 14 we’re talking about what to keep in mind as you begin predicting your nitrogen rate needs. How do yield, and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) factor into decision making? Are there any N rate databases available to Minnesota growers? What are the pros and cons of a variable rate strategy, or cover crops for example? Brad and Dan talk about that and much more on today's episode.

TRANSCRIPT

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Corn nitrogen rate calculator
• Fertilizing corn in Minnesota
• Nitrogen fertilizer BMPs for agricultural lands

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Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Today Brad and Dan explore the background and rationale behind nitrogen rate recommendations in Minnesota. How have Minnesota's N rate recommendations evolved over time? What data does the MRTN approach take into account? How are these N rates organized?

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• What to know about the MRTN approach
• Are you overspending on fertilizer?
• Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator
• Corn fertilizer guidelines - U of M

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Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Nitrogen loss: Lessons learned from the 2024 growing season is the big topic on today's episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast. What N application practices looked particularly bad in 2024? Some farmers are saying they are no longer going to apply fall N based on how 2024 played out. Is this warranted, or is it an overreaction? Is there any data back from split-application trials, or evaluations of rescue treatments? What did it tell us? In hindsight, what would have been ideal practices to have used this past year? Moving forward, what can we take away from the 2024 growing season with respect to how to manage fertilizer?

Guests:

• Fabian Fernandez, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)
• Jeff Strock, Extension soil scientist (Lamberton)
• Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca)
• Lindsay Pease, Extension nutrient and water management specialist (Crookston)
• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)

Additional Resources:

• Supplemental nitrogen worksheet for corn 
• Minnesota corn fertilizer guidelines
• Video: Split-applying nitrogen for corn: Three keys for successful sidedress applications
• Corn nitrogen rate calculator
• Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast series
• Nitrogen Smart educational program

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Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Support for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

In episode 12 of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series Brad and Dan talk in detail about nitrification inhibitors. What are the two types of inhibitors, and what are best practices for incorporation? How do soil type, temperature, and precipitation factor into farmer decision-making? How much time does a nitrification inhibitor buy you? In what circumstances should inhibitors be avoided altogether? These answers and many, many more on today's episode.

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Nitrification inhibitors and manure: Do they work?
• Video: What to know about nitrogen inhibitors and other enhanced efficiency fertilizers
• A difference in degrees: Fall application efficiency at 50 Fahrenheit
• Nitrogen Smart

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Click here to listen to all Advancing Nitrogen Smart podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

Today we’re talking all about fall application. What's the first thing farmers should know about applying in fall? What’s the difference in N efficiency at 50 the degree threshold versus even a 55 degree threshold, and then when have those degree dates happened historically?

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Minnesota Department of Agriculture Soil Temperature Network
• Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca, MN) temperature chart
• Advanced Nitrogen Smart: A deep dive into the 4 Rs

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For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, our panelists discuss liming in detail. What kind of variation is there in liming recommendations? Since pH changes aren’t instant, when is the best time to apply limestone? Is lime application economically justified, and in what circumstances? What should growers know about selecting liming materials? What other bits of advice do our panelists recommend?

Guests:

• John Jones, Soil Fertility, plant nutrition, and nutrient management research, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, (Urbana-Champaign, Il) 
• Jeff Vetsch, U of M researcher (Waseca)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)
• Carl Rosen, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Liming
• Lime needs in Minnesota
• Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST)

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Click here to listen to all Nutrient Management Podcast episodes.

For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast wherever you listen and never miss an episode. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, and to our YouTube channel. Be sure to like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and of course visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Support for the Nutrient Management Podcast is provided by Minnesota's fertilizer tonnage fee through the Agricultural Fertilizer Research & Education Council (AFREC). Learn more at MNsoilfertility.com.

In this episode of Advancing Nitrogen Smart, Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist joins Brad Carlson to discuss fall manure application. What are the most important dos and don'ts of fall application? How much time can nitrification inhibitors buy you after application? What's the optimum soil temperature for application, and what if you can't wait? What are characteristics of manure from different sources, and how can they work to your advantage?

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Melissa Wilson, Extension manure management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Nitrogen availability of different manure types: What we know and what we are researching
• Tips for fall manure application and how to avoid nutrient loss
• Nitrification inhibitors and manure: Do they work?
• Introducing ManureDB: A new way to view manure variability and trends 
• Everything manure: Midwest experts answer common questions heading into fall 

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For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.

In this episode of the Advancing Nitrogen Smart series, we discuss probably the most important topic for many farmers - rate. What makes both over-application and under-application of nitrogen counter-productive in terms of yield? How does a Maximum Return To Nitrogen (MRTN) rate approach differ from a yield-based approach? What are long-term environmental consequences of over-application, and how does this relate to a farmer's operation? What are some ways to address in-field variability when determining rate? 

Guests:

• Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato)
• Daniel Kaiser, Extension nutrient management specialist (St. Paul)

Additional resources:

• Maximum Return To Nitrogen (MRTN) rate calculator 
• Are you overspending on fertilizer?
• Best practices for nitrogen management
• Nitrogen Smart (online course)

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For the latest nutrient management information, subscribe to the Nutrient Management Podcast. And don't forget to subscribe to the Minnesota Crop News daily or weekly email newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube channel, like UMN Extension Nutrient Management on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly twitter), and visit our website.

If you have questions or comments, please email us at [email protected].

Advancing Nitrogen Smart is proud to be supported by the farm families of Minnesota and their corn check-off investment through Minnesota Corn.