the
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cultivator SPRING EDITION 2021
WHAT OAT VARIETY SHOULD I PLANT? MAC EHRHARDT, ALBERT LEA SEED
When a farmer calls to ask us about oats, our first question is, “What’s the end use?” Variety selection is simply much easier once you define why you are growing oats. As with corn and soybeans, oat variety selection is critical. If you plan on selling whole oats for livestock feed or food-grade markets, then quality characteristics, like test weight, rise to the top of the criteria list. But what if you’re looking for oats to plant and underseed with legumes? What if you need oat straw for your farm, or to sell? Or maybe you’re incorporating oats for haylage—what varieties should you consider then? Once you know your end use, you can consider the Big Six, the six most common selection criteria in oat varieties: • Yield • Test Weight • Disease Resistance (Crown Rust and Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus) • Maturity • Lodging Resistance (and height) • Adaptation: how varieties perform within their specific geography and field conditions. Every location is different, and there can be performance variability from season to season. Keep an eye on trials near you. Our Trial Data page contains links to recent oat variety trials from across the region, so you can see how specific varieties performed—and under what management methods.
MATURITY Early-heading varieties are often good choices for more southerly locations where summer heat can reduce grain yields. This is because the later an oat variety heads out, the higher the likelihood that it’s going to be heading at a time when there’s hot weather. Late oats, in general, aren’t a great choice as you move them south. Early is also better when farmers are planting oats as a nurse crop for alfalfa. By contrast, later-maturing varieties are often taller (for more straw and/or forage) and can be more adapted to more northern locations.
LODGING Lodging is a major challenge for farmers across the Midwest, especially for oats being harvested for grain. If you are harvesting your oats for grain, and especially if your oats are underseeded with a hay crop, make sure you choose a variety with a good lodging score.
DISEASE Environmental and disease stresses affect grain quality and yield, so select oat varieties with resistance to the stresses most prevalent in your location. Diseases can reduce test weight, which could jeopardize an oat crop’s marketability for a milling market. Crown rust is the most significant disease that oats face in our growing area, but barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) can also be a problem. Farmers should select oat varieties with high resistance to crown rust, and non-Organic farmers should consider spraying a fungicide if weather conditions are conducive to the development of rust.
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SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH END USE BEST OATS FOR MILLING/ FOOD-GRADE MARKETS Oats used for the food-grade market may require specific thresholds that vary, depending on the purchaser. Some buyers may have particular requirements for kernel color, oil content, and beta glucan (β-glucan) levels. Growers for the food-grade market should consult their buyers’ requirements ahead of time before settling on specific oat varieties. If you’re growing for a miller (like Grain Millers) then quality is the primary concern. Topping the list is high test-weight (36 lb+ test weight/bushel), but other important characteristics include crown rust resistance, yield, lodging resistance, and local adaptation. One of my personal favorite oat varieties for the milling market is Reins. It was released by the University of Illinois in 2015, and it continues to perform well in variety trials across the Upper Midwest. It’s an early variety with great test weight. It is shorter with very good lodging resistance, and it still has some crown rust resistance. We offer Reins as both organic and conventional.
BEST OAT VARIETIES FOR MILLING/FOOD-GRADE: • Reins (Organic | Conventional) • Saddle (Organic | Conventional) • Rushmore (Conventional) • Sumo (Organic) • Antigo – not in stock for 2021 • Natty – not in stock for 2021 • Warrior – not in stock for 2021
OATS FOR FEED & STRAW Yield is king when selecting oat varieties for feed, but crown rust resistance is also important. If you also want to bale the straw, look for a taller variety with good lodging resistance.
BEST OAT VARIETIES FOR FEED & STRAW: • Deon (Organic | Conventional) • Rushmore (Conventional) • Saddle (Organic | Conventional) • MN Pearl – not in stock for 2021 • Natty – not in stock for 2021 • Warrior – not in stock for 2021
OATS FOR FORAGE (BALEAGE / SILAGE) If you are growing oats primarily for silage or baleage, you need to answer another question as well: “are you underseeding your forage oats?” If you are not underseeding your forage oats, then you can maximize your tonnage by planting a forage-specific oat variety (listed below). These varieties have been bred to be tall, leafy, and late (thus providing a wide harvest window). But please understand that these foragespecific oats should not be underseeded with alfalfa or hay mixes. They are too competitive, and you risk having a poor alfalfa/hay stand when you take the oats off. If you are underseeding your forage oats with alfalfa or pasture seed, then choose a tall, good-standing variety with crown rust resistance. Crown rust resistance is important for forage production as well, because a severe crown rust infestation can significantly reduce both the yield and quality of your forage.
BEST OAT VARIETIES FOR FORAGE Forage-Specific Oats: • Laker (Organic | Conventional) • Everleaf – not in stock for 2021 • ForagePlus – not in stock for 2021 Tall Oats: • Deon (Organic | Conventional) • Morton (Organic|Conventional) • Goliath – not in stock for 2021 • Newburg – not in stock for 2021
OATS FOR A NURSE CROP If you’re using oats as a nurse crop for alfalfa or a hay mix, and you’re taking the oats for grain, maturity leaps to the top, because timing will be critical. Look for varieties with early- to mid-maturity, that are short to medium height, and that have good lodging resistance, and good resistance to crown rust.
BEST OAT VARIETIES FOR NURSE CROP: • Reins (Organic | Conventional) • Rushmore (Conventional) • Saddle (Organic | Conventional) • Sumo (Organic) • Antigo – not in stock for 2021
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MANAGING CANADA THISTLE IN ORGANIC & CONVENTIONAL CROPPING SYSTEMS MARGARET SMITH, PHD, FORAGE AGRONOMIST, ALBERT LEA SEED STEVEN J. CARLSON, PHD, RESEARCH AGRONOMIST
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense L.) is manageable in both organic and conventional farming systems, but the approach is much different. The challenge is certainly greater on organic farms. Organic growers should think in terms of management rather than control as it is difficult to completely eradicate this introduction from Eurasia. Organic management methods include: 1. Tillage 2. Smother/cover crops 3. Defoliation 4. Biological control agents Understanding the life cycle and growth of this weed helps in understanding these approaches to management. Canada thistle is difficult to control once established because of its extensive root system, which can grow more than ten feet horizontally per year and up to eight to ten feet deep. Canada thistle roots and shoots produce allelopathic chemicals that can inhibit both seed germination and plant growth of crop species. These chemicals also inhibit growth of beneficial soil microbes such as mycorrhizal fungal species which assist crop plants in harvesting moisture and nutrients from the soil. ‘ Canada thistle does suffer from competition for light, above ground, and for root space and resources, below ground. One reason the weed is so aggressive
is that our annual cropping systems don’t provide enough competition, either below OR above ground.
LIFE-CYCLE AND REPRODUCTION Classified as a noxious weed in most states, Canada Thistle is a perennial that can reproduce from seed, but the plant’s vegetative reproduction poses the larger threat to cropping systems. Most Canada thistle populations start in a field from seed, though root segments may be also transported on tillage equipment. Once a population is established, spread within the affected field is largely by underground spread of roots and buds.
SEED REPRODUCTION Plants begin to flower in late spring and reach the bud stage in late May to mid June. Left to mature seeds, a plant can produce 1,200 seeds or more, which can remain viable in the soil for more than 20 years. Plants within a patch are either male or female (dioecious) and must be pollinated by insects between patches. Seeds spread by animals, clothing, farm equipment, contaminated crop seed, or by wind.
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Left to mature seeds, a plant can produce 1,200 seeds or more, which can remain viable in the soil for more than 20 years.
VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION: ADVENTITIOUS ROOT BUDS Plants that rise from adventitious root buds are very aggressive and can compete in most cropping systems, whereas plants from seed are less competitive and generally take eight to ten weeks to establish a perennial plant system. Left undisturbed, new, viable shoots from Canada thistle develop primarily in the spring from adventitious root buds (shoot-forming buds originating on roots). Thousands of buds can form per square foot of soil in a well-developed root system, but only a small percentage will elongate to form shoots. The remainder stay dormant due to hormonal suppression by the plant, but new shoots may form from parent shoots when mowed.
ORGANIC MANAGEMENT Weed scientists, Dr. Matt Leibman, Iowa State University and Dr. Adam Davis, University of Illinois, note that “weed management in organic farming systems requires the concerted use of multiple physical, biological and cultural tactics.” Working with Canada thistle is no exception; a variety or combination of control methods will result in the best suppression.
1. TILLAGE Historically, Canada thistle was controlled by tilling every three weeks during the growing season. Tillage breaks up the root system and kills emerged
shoots. Deep-tillage passes break up established roots. Then, once buds have emerged, shallow tillage passes kill the new shoots. Cutting the root system into short segments breaks apical dominance, which stimulates root buds to grow and depletes important carbohydrate reserves in the root system. Generally, nutrients flow from the roots to the shoots until third or fourth leaf stage of growth, at which time nutrients produced by the shoots begin to replenish the root reserves. Some organic growers use this strategy following the harvest of a small grain. Jon Findlay from Cara, Michigan does weekly tillage for six weeks following small grain harvest. He alternates deep with shallower tillage by chiseling at 6 to 8 inches deep followed in one week by an offset disking 3 to 4 inches deep. After this series of tillage passes, he plows and follows with an oat-forage pea fall cover crop. Jon uses this strategy only once every six years in his rotation and reports excellent thistle suppression, with corn yields increased 35 bu/A compared to corn following a heavy thistle infestation. On Paul Hoffman’s farm near Earlville, Illinois where thistle infestations are moderate, he uses shallow tillage every 2 to 3 weeks in July and August following small grain harvest. He follows this with a cover crop mix of oats, 4010 forage peas, a brassica, buckwheat and sunflower. The following spring, he works this cover crop residue with vertical tillage. This stimulates a flush of buckwheat, self-seeded from the previous year, which he works down at height of 4 to 6 inches before planting corn.
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2. SMOTHER/COVER CROPS One of the best smother crops for Canada thistle is a warm-season summer annual: sudangrass or a sorghum x sudangrass hybrid. Dave Campbell farms near Maple Park in northern Illinois and has used this strategy for years after participating in an Illinois study to evaluate the smothering effects of sudangrass and sudangrass with cowpeas (70:30 ratio). In the research, both of these plantings reduced Canada thistle populations by 96%. In this same study, neither buckwheat nor summer fallow adequately suppressed the thistle. Dave tills three to four times in the spring with his quack digger, then plants Viking 100 sorghum x sudangrass hybrid in mid June. Dave drills a heavy seeding rate of 50 lbs/A and is considering going up to 60 lbs. He wants a very thick stand to completely shade the Canada thistle. He flail chops this in August and doesn’t removed the forage, then allows the sorghum x sudangrass to regrow as the weather allows. In the late fall, after frost has killed the sorghum x sudangrass, he chiselplows the field. He avoids early fall tillage to avoid stimulating any new shoot growth from the few remaining Canada thistle plants. Dave shared that this method is not as effective on his heavier soils and in years of high rainfall. Where thistle populations are heavy on Paul Hoffman’s farm, he uses a similar strategy to Dave’s, but Instead of mowing the sorghum x sudangrass, he strip grazes it just at or before heading with his sheep flock. He has been excited about this practice, which has reduced his Canada thistle population from 60-65 shoots/yd2 to about 1/yd2, a 98.5% reduction rate!
3. DEFOLIATION Repeated mowing near the soil surface will deplete Canada thistle root reserves. Mowing weekly following the bud stage is most effective, but it results in no marketable crop after mid-June. A hay crop combines the strategies of competition and defoliation. Alfalfa and forage grasses, particularly orchardgrass and tall fescue, compete well with Canada thistle. When raising hay, to provide the most competition, maintain optimal fertility levels for a healthy, vigorously growing crop. The competition from established forage roots and the rapid regrowth following harvest, combined with the defoliation when cutting hay ‘slows down’ and will decrease your thistle population. Paul Mugge, from Paullina, Iowa, uses this strategy. Each year Paul has seven to eight percent of his crop acres seeded to alfalfa for hay. This seeding is moved around the farm and placed each cycle where the Canada
thistle population is the worst. Paul maintains his hay stand for three years and cuts the hay (and Canada thistle) four times during the growing season. Paul estimates a 90 percent reduction in the Canada thistle population under this system. Hay is sold off the farm, as Paul doesn’t raise ruminants in his system.
4. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS Insect biological control agents must be specific to the target species to avoid off-target impacts. Researchers have introduced and evaluated six different insect species for biological control of Canada thistle. A stem-mining weevil, Hadroplontus litura, whose larvae feed on thistle stems had a small impact in North Dakota, though plants easily recovered. No other insects have been found effective for control. Disease-causing fungi and bacteria can be more specific than insects. At least three have been evaluated for Canada thistle control. Both Puccinia puncitiformis (a rust) and Psuedomonas syringae pv. tagetis (a bacteria that causes leaf spot and chlorosis) were found to infect Canada thistle. The bacteria, Psuedomonas, showed promising control in one year of a two-year experiment in Minnesota, but no effect the second year. None of these has been commercially successful.
CONVENTIONAL MANAGEMENT METHODS Conventional growers have the option to employ a longer crop rotation or seed a hay crop as part of their management strategy. Historically, however, they primarily have relied on systemic herbicides to control Canada thistle. Herbicide options vary in their efficacy on this persistent perennial. Preemergence and incorporated herbicides are ineffective. Products rated ‘Fair to Good’ for postemergence control include Basagran, dicamba, Beacon, 2,4-D, Liberty and Roundup. Effective control may require multiple applications in a growing season. Check with your supplier and read your product label before treatment. Diligent observation for and removal of Canada thistle new growth is important to prevent reestablishment of the root system. Preventing seed production and spread is also important in the control of Canada thistle. If a new patch of thistle is observed due to seed germination (or from a newly introduced segment of root) control it immediately to prevent establishment of a mature root system.
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VIKING CORN AND SOYBEANS 2021 INVENTORY & OFFERS
MAC EHRHARDT AND CARL GAUDIAN INSPECTING VIKING TEST PLOTS IN ALGONA, IOWA.
MAC EHRHARDT, PRESIDENT & CO-OWNER JAKE HANSEN, PRODUCT MANAGER/AGRONOMIST ALBERT LEA SEED
One of the sure signs of Spring at the Seed House is phones ringing off the hook. Customers from across the country are calling to order seed corn and soybeans for 2021. Here’s a quick update on our corn and soybean inventory and offers.
VIKING CONVENTIONAL CORN
VIKING ORGANIC CORN
We have a good supply of most of our conventional corn hybrids including some of our key hybrids in Viking 51-95, 52-00, and 84-05.
Viking O.85-00P “We are failing our customers by not pushing this hybrid more,” Mac Ehrhardt’s scolds us, because apparently we haven’t done a good enough job of explaining what a great hybrid Viking O.85-00P is. He thinks it is likely the best 100-day Organic hybrid we have ever sold. “It’s got the same female parent as O.84-95, but with better emergence and higher yields! Wake up and plant some!”
• Silage Corn: We are out of 51-04, Fodder 4, and 48-08, but Viking 84-05 makes a great 105-106 day silage corn with very good tonnage, silage quality, and a wide harvest window
• WorkHorse Hybrids: If you have a piece of ground that just never yields more than 160-170 Bu/acre, we offer two WorkHorse hybrids for $118/Bag. Viking 88-84W and Viking 88-94W • Sold Out: Viking 81-82, 51-04, Fodder 4, 48-08, & 58-11.
Retail price as low as $187/80,000 Kernel unit if paid by Dec. 15, 2020 and maximizing volume discounts. Regular retail $245 before any discounts.
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• Small Seed Size, Special Price. We have three small-seeded organic corn hybrids on special for as low as $187/bag1. Choose from Viking O.52-96P, Viking O.85-00P, and Viking O.46-02 organic corn hybrids, which are as good as— or even better than—Pioneer Untreated. • Viking O.52-96P is a tough hybrid with high yield potential. Strong emergence, suitable for reduced tillage. Very good root and stalk strength. Excellent plant health, including resistance to Anthracnose stalk rot. Good drought tolerance.
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• Viking O.85-00P is a consistent yielder with very good drought tolerance. Healthy plant with above average tolerance to Tar Spot. Strong stalks and roots. Very good intactness. Good emergence. Average test weight.
• Viking O.46-02 is widely adapted with strong yields from central Nebraska to New York. Semi-flex ear with very good test weight. Strong emergence, stalks, and roots. Mediumtall healthy plant with good fall intactness. OTHER ORGANIC HYBRIDS.
We still have a good supply of most Organic hybrids, with some noted inventory changes: • Sold out of Viking 84-95, replace with Viking O.52-96P (Same female parent as O.84-95, higher yielding on good ground) or Viking O.45-97P (Excellent emergence, great drought tolerance, very fast drydown). • Sold out of Viking O.18-06UP, replace with Viking O.51-04P (very high yielding, lower t.w.) or Viking O.74-10PGS (very high yielding, widely adapted). • Sold out of Viking O.48-08P, replace with Viking O.74-10PGS (very high yielding, widely adapted)
VIKING ORGANIC SOYBEANS We are selling the heck out of Organic Soybean seed, so order soon!
Sold out of Viking O.2418, replace with Viking O.2244AT (similar yields to O.2418, aphid-tolerant, great standing) Nearly sold out of O.3054RA12 Nearly sold out of Viking O.2702 (top-end yield potential, topped trials in 2017-19)
JAKE HANSEN INSPECTING VIKING ORGANIC CORN IN WESLEY, IOWA
VIKING CONVENTIONAL SOYBEANS Most of our conventional soybeans are still in. Overall we’ve got a good supply (and good quality) Viking Conventional soybeans. • Heavy Cyst Ground? Try some Viking 2340KN. It’s got high yields, great standability, and 1940KN both have the Peking trait for outstanding stacked aphid tolerance so you never have to spray for aphids! • Viking 0821N comes south well as an early soybean cyst nematode pressure and has ridiculous yield potential. It won the U. of MN Central Zone trial at Rosemount, yielding 73.8 Bu./Acre! • Top Performers: Viking 1518N (excellent yielding 1.5 RM, bushy plant with sound agronomics), 2155N (Top seller in 2020, outstanding yield performance), and 2418N (over 80-bushel field average, Wells, MN 2020) • Viking 3144 is starting to catch on as a 3.1 yellow-hilum, high-protein soybean.
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KERNZA :
PERENNIAL GRAIN NOW AVAILABLE
COLIN CURETON, SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST FOREVER GREEN INITIATIVE, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Kernza® is a perennial grain crop that is winterhardy in the Upper Midwest. Albert Lea Seed is proud to be among the first companies to offer a commercially viable Kernza seed to our customers. Kernza has been in development for years, but this may be the first time you’ve heard of it. That’s why we asked Colin Cureton, PhD and the UMN Forever Green Kernza Team to give us an introduction.
WHAT IS KERNZA? Kernza is the trademarked name for perennial grain products made from improved lines of intermediate wheatgrass, a Eurasian forage grass brought to the US in the early twentieth century. Kernza has been developed over the last several decades by the Rodale Institute, The Land Institute, and the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) Forever Green Initiative. UMN’s first Kernza variety, MN-Clearwater, was developed at the UMN in 2011. It shows greater yield, higher freethreshing, reduced shattering, and reduced lodging compared to other Kernza seed currently available.
“MN-Clearwater was developed by intercrossing plants that performed well in Minnesota fields. Future varieties in the next few years are expected to have improved grain yields, increased seed size, and threshability, traits that will help make this crop even more successful for growers, processors, and end-users.” JIM ANDERSON DEPT. OF AGRONOMY & PLANT GENETICS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
HOW IS KERNZA DIFFERENT THAN OTHER GRAINS? The most important difference is that Kernza is a perennial grain crop. Most other grain crops are annuals, leaving the soil bare for much of the year causing erosion, excess nutrient runoff, and higher greenhouse gas emissions. Kernza can address these issues while producing grain and forage harvests for multiple years. Kernza can produce profitable grain for 2-3 years in the Upper Midwest, and it can be managed as forage much longer. Kernza grain is smaller compared to many annual small grains, and it has a unique flavor profile and is high in protein.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KERNZA (VERSUS OTHER GRAINS)? Kernza production requires less nitrogen than most annual small grains and, because it’s a perennial, the seed and other establishment costs are lower. Kernza has multiple environmental benefits. With its deep, dense root system—which can reach depths of more than 10 feet—Kernza can improve water quality and soil health, reduce erosion, and potentially sequester carbon. It can reduce nitrate leaching by more than 95 percent compared to annual row crops. The State of Minnesota’s Clean Water Legacy Fund is supporting ecosystem service payments and other support for early Kernza growers in targeted areas where groundwater is impaired or vulnerable to nitrate leaching.
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“I am growing Kernza because it is a transformative step in agricultural cropping systems. It will produce a grain and forage crop for several years while providing yearround cover—reducing weed pressure, inputs, tillage, and time. It’s deep root system will hold the soil, keep nutrients on my farm, and could sequester carbon. With all these benefits, and the many challenges we face like climate change, growing Kernza seems like the right thing to do.” BEN PENNER KERNZA GROWER, NICOLLET COUNTY MN
PRODUCTION BASICS OF KERNZA Kernza is very winter hardy, similar to winter rye, and can be grown in the Upper Midwest, Central Plains, Mountain West, the Northeast, and Canada. It performs well on various soil types. Kernza is planted in late summer and grain is harvested in late July/ early August, requiring vernalization to produce a grain crop. Seeding depth for Kernza is shallower than most annual small grains. The crop produces a lot more straw than annual small grains, which should be chopped or removed after grain harvest. Kernza performs better under relatively dry conditions compared to wet conditions. Kernza is not suitable for saturated buffer areas or soils that are prone to periodic flooding.
HOW DO I BECOME A KERNZA GROWER? Kernza growers must be licensed before buying, planting, or marketing Kernza, and they must adhere to the trademark program and its associated Identity Preserved Program for the duration of their license. The Land Institute (TLI) owns and manages the Kernza trademark. The UMN Forever Green Initiative works closely with TLI to vet and license growers in the Upper
Midwest. The trademark program includes guidelines for approved seed sources, production practices, and quality control. This ensures a perennial grain crop in the market that meets buyers’ and consumers’ quality and sustainability expectations. To apply to be a Kernza grower visit kernza.org. Growers must apply and be licensed by TLI before buying Kernza seed from Albert Lea Seed or other suppliers.
ARE THERE MARKETS FOR KERNZA? Kernza is still in an early stage of market development. A producer cooperative, Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, is forming to support grower success, provide high-quality, reliable grain to the market, and to provide grower leadership as Kernza develops. A new supply chain business, Perennial Foods, is bringing Kernza grain and flour direct to consumers and wholesale buyers across the US. Food companies and processors already have developed products that incorporate Kernza as at least one of the ingredients, including whole grain, flour, crackers, pasta, baked goods, spirits, and beer. Interested growers should reach out to other growers and early market partners to proactively plan for marketing your crop.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT KERNZA? For the latest news and other resources including the 2021 Kernza Grower Application, a Kernza production guide, and more, visit kernza.org. Growers interested to talk with other growers about production and marketing can contact Carmen Fernholz, Interim President of Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative at 320-212-3008 or fernholz001@gmail.com. Other questions about Kernza in MN and the Upper Midwest can be directed to Colin Cureton, Supply Chain Development Specialist for the UMN Forever Green Initiative at 612-750-5967 or cure0012@umn.edu, or Tessa Peters, Director of Crop Stewardship at The Land Institute at 970-412-9489 or peters@landinstitute.org
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MEET:
THERESA PEDRETTI COVER CROPS AGRONOMIST
Theresa Pedretti is Albert Lea Seed’s new Cover Crops Agronomist. She grew up on a dairy farm in the Driftless region of southeastern Minnesota, between Rushford and Houston. She helped out feeding calves, piling small square hay bales, and vaccinating piglets. Theresa said she developed an interest in plants at an early age. Her family had a large garden, and her mother let her experiment growing flowers, herbs, and vegetables. Her interest in growing things led her to study agronomy and horticulture at the University of Minnesota. After graduating in 2012, she spent a summer as a field scout for a large organic vegetable farm, which included cover crops in their rotations. She then worked for five years at a forage seed company in Wisconsin where she sold truckloads of winter rye and clovers for both forage and cover crops. Immediately before joining the Albert Lea Seed team, she worked as a sales agronomist at a coop in St. Charles, Minnesota.
“Not every farmer I worked with was growing cover crops. But I always had the most interesting discussions with the farmers who did. We tackled a range of topics, from herbicide carryover to nitrogen tie up with their rye to correct timing of inter-seeding.” After hearing about Albert Lea Seed’s open position for Cover Crops Agronomist, Theresa thought her experiences matched.
“I really think Albert Lea Seed has great core values. Their focus is on farmer success and they truly care about their coworkers, customers, growers, and suppliers set them apart from other companies.” When asked what one thing she hopes to accomplish as a Cover Crops Agronomist for Albert Lea Seed, Theresa responded, “I’d like to help normalize planting cover crops on every farm.” Theresa said she can’t pick a favorite cover crop.
“My favorite cover crop is diversity, because no one cover crop can do it all. To really get a thriving soil and landscape, we need to grow different covers across a wide range of conditions, with different end goals and objectives, and this requires diversity in cover crop selection.” When she’s not growing garlic, pumpkins, and cover crops for the deer on a small acreage in Winona County, Minnesota, she enjoys tending to a small flock of chickens with her husband and daughter.
“Over the years, as I keep working in agriculture, I keep learning. Cover crops is an exciting area, because there is so much more to learn.”
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VIRTUAL CONFERENCE SESSIONS READY FOR VIEWING Albert Lea Seed hosted four virtual conference days, including a Conventional Corn and Soybeans day, an Organic Seed and Systems day, a Farm Forages Day, and a Small Grains Day.
More than twelve hours of sessions from these events are now available on both the Albert Lea Seed website (https://alseed.com/virtual-conference-videos) and on our Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/AlbertLeaSeed). These sessions are freely available for viewing and sharing. All sessions are now available for your viewing (and learning) pleasure. If you have ideas for future conference topics, please let us know! Send them to Chaunce Stanton, Marketing Manager, at chaunce@alseed.com.
AMONG THE MOST POPULAR PRESENTATIONS WERE: ORGANIC 60-INCH CORN PANEL (PICTURED ABOVE) Sandy Syburg (Oconomowoc, WI), John Sather (Madison, MN), and Dr. Joel Gruver (Western Illinois University)
HOW TO GROW 80-BUSHEL SOYBEANS Casey Staloch, Agriguardian
RELAY CROPPING AND DIVERSIFYING YOUR ROTATION Jason Mauck, ConstantCanopy
HYBRID RYE – NEW VARIETIES Paul Gregor, KWS
VALUE OF HYBRID RYE IN BEEF CATTLE DIETS Dr. Becca Brattain, KWS
BEST PRACTICES FOR OATS AND SPRING BARLEY Margaret Smith, PhD, Albert Lea Seed
SPRING SMALL GRAIN VARIETY SELECTION Mac Ehrhardt, Albert Lea Seed 11
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• Hay & Pasture Mixes
• Small Grains
• Warm Season Forages
• Field Peas & Pea Mixtures
• Cool Season Grasses • Legumes & Brassicas • Crop Cover Mixes • & More!
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