Agronomy Blog

Banding Phosphorus and Potassium: Stretch your fertilizer dollars further

November 30, 2021/in Fertilizer Placement, Phosphorus, Potassium/by John Breker

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter Broadcast or band? For phosphorus and potassium, these are big fertilizer questions. In recent months, high fertilizer prices have prompted farmers and agronomists to consider other strategies to reduce fertilizer costs without jeopardizing crop yield. Among the most common and effective options is placing […]

Controlling Soybean Cyst Nematode: Do you have a resistance problem?

November 30, 2021/in Disease, Regional Data, Research, Soybean/by Brent Jaenisch

This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Winter 2022 Newsletter This is the third year of our soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance project. Each year, we have flagged spots in soybean fields and collected paired SCN soil samples in June and September. If the SCN egg count increases through summer and into fall, we […]

How much residual soil nitrate is left after the 2021 corn crop?

October 12, 2021/in Corn, Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Soybean/by Jodi Boe

It’s probably more than you think. So far, the residual soil nitrate-nitrogen trend following corn is much higher than average across the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains. This follows the same trend set by the 2021 wheat crop. For many growers in the region, the hot and dry growing season has resulted in high […]

Soil Sample Before Tillage: Consistent sample depth matters!

October 5, 2021/in Phosphorus, Potassium, Soil Sampling, Zinc/by Jodi Boe

The fall harvest season is a busy time of year. Farmers need to finish harvest, apply fertilizer, and complete any tillage operations before the long winter sets in. Another field operation that needs to be completed within this flurry of activity is soil sampling, and sampling timing is crucial to getting quality and consistent soil cores. […]

Corn Stalk Nitrate Test

September 28, 2021/in Corn, Nitrogen, Plant Analysis/by Richard Jenny

To help evaluate nitrogen management in corn, you may want to try the corn stalk nitrate test as a post-mortem tool. The corn stalk nitrate test is a late-season or end-of-season plant analysis on mature corn stalks. Iowa State University developed the corn stalk sampling protocol and interpretation. If corn did not have sufficient nitrogen, […]

Soil Nitrogen Trends – Fall 2021; High Variability Following Drought

September 21, 2021/in Canola, Corn, Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data, Soybean, Wheat/by Jodi Boe

This article was originally published following the 2021 drought. The 2022 growing season may seem like a long way off, but spring will be here before we know it. In fact, many growers are already making (or have made) crop choices and seed variety decisions for 2022. One factor that must be considered when making […]

Brent Jaenisch Joins AGVISE Technical Support Team

September 15, 2021/in AGVISE Laboratories/by Jodi Boe

AGVISE Laboratories is proud to announce that Brent Jaenisch has joined the AGVISE team as an Agronomist. Brent provides sales and technical support to AGVISE customers throughout Minnesota, South Dakota, and the northern Corn Belt. You will soon see his contributions in AGVISE newsletters and seminars. Brent is based at the Benson, MN laboratory. Brent […]

Understanding high residual soil nitrate-nitrogen following drought

August 24, 2021/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data/by John Lee

Soil testing after small grains is well underway, and we are seeing higher than normal soil nitrate-nitrogen levels, as expected. Crop yields have varied from much below average to surprisingly decent in some locations. It is easy to understand why residual soil nitrate-nitrogen is high in fields where the 2021 drought was severe and crop […]

Sampling Fields for Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN)

August 17, 2021/in Disease, Soybean/by Richard Jenny

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a microscopic parasitic worm that attacks the roots of susceptible soybean and dry edible bean, causing unseen or unexplained yield losses. Soybean and dry edible bean are naturally susceptible to SCN, but through plant breeding, most soybeans have some level of resistance, varying in level from good to poor. The […]

Tips for Soil Sampling in Dry Conditions

August 10, 2021/in Drought, Equipment, Soil Sampling/by John Lee

Soil sampling in dry conditions can be difficult. The ground is hard, fields are dry, and getting a consistent soil core depth can take more time than usual. To help you take the best soil samples this fall, we’ve put together some tips and tricks for sampling in dry soil conditions that, when implemented, will help […]

Lessons (Ghosts) of Droughts Past

August 5, 2021/in Drought, Nitrogen, Regional Data/by John Lee

From Alberta to Iowa, the region has experienced everything from abnormally dry soil conditions to exceptional drought. In some places, the drought started in 2020 and has continued through 2021. Considering lower than expected crop yields, we expect that residual soil nitrate-nitrogen levels will be much higher than normal in many wheat, canola, and corn […]

Save Time and Avoid Mistakes by Using AGVISOR to Submit Soil Samples Online

July 26, 2021/in AGVISE Laboratories/by Jodi Boe

AGVISE Laboratories is always trying to make soil sampling easier. Since 2011, AGVISE customers have enjoyed submitting soil samples online through our AGVISOR platform. AGVISOR is the online platform that allows you to submit soil samples (conventional, grid/zone, and soybean cyst nematode samples); save grower and field information (so you don’t have to fill it […]

Potassium and Drought: A Two-fold Water Uptake Problem

July 1, 2021/in Corn, Drought, Potassium, Troubleshooting/by John Breker

Potassium is back on the radar for many farmers and agronomists across the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains. In the past two weeks, corn growth and development have reached the stage where potassium deficiencies are becoming quite apparent, and widespread dry soil conditions during the 2021 drought have worsened the problem. In some instances, corn […]

Plant Sampling Basics – Sampling, storing, and shipping plant samples

June 17, 2021/in Plant Analysis/by Jodi Boe

Plant sampling season is in full swing. Agronomists submit plant samples for analysis for a number of reasons: to confirm visible nutrient deficiency symptoms, to detect “hidden hungers”, and to monitor or fine-tune fertilizer plans. For whatever reason you plan to take plant samples, here is a quick refresher on sampling, storing, and shipping plant samples to AGVISE Laboratories. Sampling […]

Is PI88788 Working in Your Soybean Fields?

June 15, 2021/in Disease, Soybean/by Brent Jaenisch

Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) is the number one crop yield-reducing pest in soybean production. Potential crop yield loss to SCN is expected to rise as more and more populations of SCN overcome the PI88788 resistance source. The Peking resistance source is not as common as the PI88788, but it is becoming incorporated into more soybean […]