Northwestern MinnesotaCropping Systems: Northwestern Minnesota Cropping Systems Paul Porter Cropping Systems Agronomist Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics University of Minnesota August 25, 2003 pporter@umn.edu


NASS District #10: NASS District #10 1. Kittson 2. Roseau 3. Marshall 4. Polk 5. Pennington 6. Red Lake 7. Norman 8. Mahnomen 9. Clearwater 10. Clay 11. Becker USDA-NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service)


Crops in District #10: Crops in District #10 Wheat Barley Oat Rye Corn - grain Corn - silage Alfalfa hay All other hay x x x x x x x x x x x Soybean Sugar beet Sunflower Edible bean Flax Potato Canola


NW MN Cropping Systems: NW MN Cropping Systems Minnesota Ag’l Statistical Service presents the data: ..by year…….. ..by county….. ..by crop……. I want to evaluate crop trends: ..across years… ..by groups of crops...


Crops in District #10: Crops in District #10 < legume < legume < legume


Slide10: All Crops plus CRP CRP = Conservation Reserve Program (25% county maximum) *


% of Land in Harvested Crops (1991 Through 2000): % of Land in Harvested Crops (1991 Through 2000) 1. Kittson 47 % 2. Roseau 27 3. Marshall 47 4. Polk 66 5. Pennington 47 6. Red Lake 54 7. Norman 75 8. Mahnomen 38 9. Clearwater 11 10. Clay 69 11. Becker 27 1 3 2 5 6 4 7 8 10 11 9


Slide12: All Crops Grasses


Slide13: Wheat All crops Grasses


Slide14: Wheat


Slide15: Wheat Oat


Slide16: Wheat Oat Barley


Slide17: Wheat Rye Corn grain Corn silage Hay *


Slide18: Wheat Oat Barley Rye Corn grain Corn silage Hay *


Slide19: Wheat


Slide20: Wheat Soybean


Slide21: Soybean


Slide22: Soybean Alfalfa Edible beans


Slide23: Soybean Sunflower


Slide24: Soybean Sugar beet Potato


Slide25: Soybean Flax Canola


Slide26: Soybean Sunflower Sugar beet Alfalfa Canola Edible beans Flax Potato


Slide27: Alfalfa Canola Potato Flax Edible beans Sunflower Sugar beet Soybean


District #10 Recap: District #10 Recap ~46% of land area is harvested crops, but this varies from ‘county to county.’ Small grains dominated the landscape, but soybean acreage is increasing. Impact on water quality???


Slide29: Wheat All crops Soybean


Slide30: Grasses Legumes Other Broadleaves


Which Crops are not Annuals?: Which Crops are not Annuals? < legume < legume < legume


Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Planting and Harvest: Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Planting and Harvest Small grain planting: late April – early June (median May 17) Small grain harvest: early Aug. – early Sept. (median Aug. 19) (87 day growing period)


Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Weather: Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Weather Date of last spring occurrence of <30oF: late April – late May (median May 12) Date of first fall occurrence of < 30oF: mid Sept. – early Oct. (median Sept. 25) (134 days ‘frost-free’)


Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Weather: Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Weather Annual total Growing Degree Days (GDD): 3,700 GDD (40 baseoF and no maximum) Annual total precipitation: 21.3” Annual amount leaving watershed as streamflow: 3.2” (or 15% of total)


Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Between Sept. and April (2/3 of year) : Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Between Sept. and April (2/3 of year) Growing Degree Days (GDD): 850 GDD (23% of annual total) Total precipitation: 21.3” (40% of annual total) Amount leaving watershed as streamflow: 1.8” (55% of annual total)


Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Between Sept. and April (2/3 of year) : Crookston – Red Lake Falls – Thief River Falls Between Sept. and April (2/3 of year) If cropping systems in this area were to utilize the natural resources more efficiently, perhaps problems associated with periodic flooding and disaster payments due to an inability to spring plant in a timely fashion could be mitigated.


Slide37: All wheat All crops All other hay Alfalfa hay Grasses