Quad County Crops Newsletter
Weed 'em Out: Identify and Report Invasive Species
April 15th | 9 am to 3 pm | MnDOT Training Center
3725 12th St. N, St. Cloud, MN 56303
Learn how to identify and report invasive plants early, before they become big trouble. Whether you’re identifying plants in roadsides, pastures, or natural areas, you will hone your ID skills and apply them to target species samples to distinguish them from common look-alike species.
High-priority plants include: stiltgrass, Johnsongrass, swallow-worts, rough potato, Dalmatian toadflax, golden honeysuckle vine, porcelain berry, common and giant butterburs, teasels, Amur corktree, tree-of-heaven, rowan mountain ash, plus regional specialties. This program is free to attend; please bring your own lunch. Register for Weed 'em Out!
Wheat Pest Survey - Fields Needed!
Since 2011, University Minnesota Extension has conducted a small grains field survey in western Minnesota in collaboration with North Dakota State University. The goal is to inform producers and researchers of the presence of disease and pests. Through this program, UMN Extension alerts individual growers and uses the scouting data to contribute to weekly pest population maps that are produced jointly with NDSU's scouting program.
Rather than relying on random fields to sample for insects and diseases, scouts visit only small grains fields that have been volunteered and have written permission to scout. If you would like to volunteer a field to contribute to these maps and get pest data sent to you, please visit; z.umn.edu/wheatipm2026. Fields may be wheat, barley, oats, or rye, but should be within about 1.5 hours from Morris, Moorhead, or Crookston. Within the quad counties, consider volunteering fields west of St. Joseph or Cold Spring and south of Upsala.
Alfalfa Scissor-Cut and Harvest Alert
Looking to get more out of your alfalfa? By monitoring the Relative Feed Value, or RFV, of your forage, you can optimize your harvest timing to bring in the highest yield at your target quality. The University of Minnesota Alfalfa Scissor-Cut program helps alfalfa growers gauge the RFV of their forage. Samples are collected from cooperating farms across central Minnesota two days per week and submitted to a lab for nutrient testing. The results are shared with the public to help inform harvest decisions.
Glufosinate-Resistant Waterhemp Confirmed in MN
Minnesota weed resistance surveillance indicates that waterhemp populations with resistance to multiple herbicides have been spreading across the state. Some populations are resistant to six herbicide sites of action, leaving glufosinate as the only effective post-emergence option for controlling those populations. A confirmation of glufosinate resistance in waterhemp brings us one step closer to a case of waterhemp with no effective post-emergence herbicide options.
Proper Late Winter and Spring Grain Storage is Critical
As outdoor temperatures warm during late winter, spring, and early summer, the potential for grain storage problems increases, along with the need for grain monitoring and management. Starting with properly dry grain is important, but temperature fluctuations can create inconsistent pools of moisture throughout the bin. Ventilation is one tool to manage moisture and maintain consistent cooling. Read the full article to make sure you’re doing everything you can to minimize storage loss.
Great Lakes Cover Crop Project: 2025 Results - More farmers needed for 2026
Are you curious about what cover crops are really doing for soil health? The Great Lakes Cover Crops Project has worked with Minnesota farmers to collect practical, local data on cover crop management and results. This project equips farmers with an easy way to evaluate cover crop biomass in their fields, making it easier to measure response to management and guide future decisions. Check out the article for highlights from the 2025 report.
