Articles

Winter Wheat and Soil Carbon

September 22, 2021 12:30-1:30 pm   Local Update Michael (Mike) Ballweg, Extension Crops and Soils Agent Cropping Systems and Practices that Build Soil Carbon  Randy Jackson, UW-Madison Agronomy Professor Setting Up the Winter Wheat Crop for Success Shawn Conley, UW-Madison Extension Soybean & Small Grain Specialist

Aphanomyces Root Rot of Alfalfa

Aphanomyces root rot (ARR) is a serious disease of both recently seeded alfalfa and established alfalfa stands.  ARR can cause severe yield reductions in affected alfalfa fields.  Variations of the disease also occur on many other legumes (including soybean, snap bean, faba bean, red kidney bean, pea, red clover, and white clover) and can cause significant losses in these crops as well.

Considerations for Selecting Annual Grain Hybrids and Varieties

The selection of corn hybrids and soybean and small grain varieties has a major influence on yield and overall profitability of crop production.  The disparity in yield between varieties on both ends of the spectrum is quite large.  At the University of Wisconsin, corn hybrid research has shown an average yield spread of 70 bushels/acre […]

Harvest Season Clean Out

Limiting the spread of weed seed between fields is a key part of an integrated pest management system. This is especially important, because the weeds present at harvest were allowed to produce seed and have survived other control attempts during the growing season. These weed seeds, if allowed to spread and germinate, have the potential to become difficult to control elsewhere.

Effect of Seedling Year Stress on Future Alfalfa Yields

Stress in the seeding year reduces future yields of alfalfa. This occurs because the seeding year determines the stand plant density as well as individual plant size and vigor. The following paragraphs will show that autotoxicity, potato leaf hopper, cover crop, and, possibly, drought stresses in the seeding year will reduce alfalfa yield in future years, even when the stress is gone.

Alfalfa Fall harvest and the buildup of reserves

While farming in the ‘North’ brings the benefits of growing some of the best forages like alfalfa and cool-season grasses, it also carries the weight of fall decisions that will ‘make or break’ your profit due to risks of winter injury. Fall decisions regarding alfalfa production include proper harvest timing  and providing adequate potassium, leading to strong plants that can survive a severe winter and come back the following year with good yield potential.

Fall Manure Management

September 8, 2021 12:30-1:30 pm   Local Update Kimberly Schmidt, Extension Shawano County Agriculture Educator Are nitrate inhibitors beneficial?   Carrie Laboski, UW-Madison Extension Soil Specialist  Cover Crops that Best Scavenge N for Water Quality  Jamie Patton, Senior Outreach Specialist, UW-Madison NPM Program

Want to improve soil health? Start with minimizing erosion. 

Soil health is something we hear a lot about these days. Cover crops, soil health tests, diversity in crop rotations, and reduced compaction are all ways to improve soil health. While it is true, cover crops and diverse rotations can improve soil health and tests to measure progress are good, there is some low hanging fruit that farmers may be missing when it comes to improving soil health.