Northwestern Minnesota Cropping Systems

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Northwestern MinnesotaCropping Systems

• Paul Porter
• Cropping Systems Agronomist
• Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics
• University of Minnesota
• August 25, 2003
• pporter_at_umn.edu

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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)
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Crops in District 10

• Wheat
• Barley
• Oat
• Rye
• Corn - grain
• Corn - silage
• Alfalfa hay
• All other hay

x
x
x

• Soybean
• Sugar beet
• Sunflower
• Edible bean
• Flax
• Potato
• Canola

x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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NW MN Cropping Systems

• Minnesota Agl Statistical Service
  presents the data ..by year.. ..by
  county.. ..by crop.
• I want to evaluate crop trends ..across
  years ..by groups of crops...

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Crops in District 10
lt legume lt legume lt legume
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All Crops plus CRP

CRP Conservation Reserve Program (25 county
maximum)
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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

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3
2
5
6
4
9
7
8
11
10
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All Crops
Grasses
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All crops
Grasses
Wheat
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Wheat
15
Wheat Oat
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Wheat Oat Barley
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Wheat Rye Corn grain Corn silage Hay
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Wheat Oat Barley Rye Corn grain Corn silage Hay
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Wheat
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Wheat Soybean
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Soybean
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Soybean Alfalfa Edible beans
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Soybean Sunflower
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Soybean Sugar beet Potato
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Soybean Flax Canola
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Soybean Sunflower Sugar beet Alfalfa Canola Edible
beans Flax Potato
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Alfalfa Canola Potato Flax Edible
beans Sunflower Sugar beet Soybean
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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???

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All crops
Wheat
Soybean
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Grasses Legumes Other Broadleaves
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Which Crops are not Annuals?
lt legume lt legume lt legume
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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)
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Crookston Red Lake Falls Thief River Falls
Weather
Date of last spring occurrence of lt30oF late
April late May (median May 12) Date of first
fall occurrence of lt 30oF mid Sept. early
Oct. (median Sept. 25) (134
days frost-free)
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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)
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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)
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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.
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All crops
Grasses
All wheat
All other hay
Alfalfa hay