Hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve discuss the progress and challenges of Minnesota's agronomic crops. They are joined each week by a diversity of specialists representing all crops and agronomic disciplines to discuss their research and its impact on Minnesota crops. Dave Nicolai is a crops Extension educator and Seth Naeve is the Extension soybean agronomist.
Managing Weather Extremes, Biologicals, and Soybean Planting and Harvest Timing with OSU’s Dr. Laura Lindsey
In Episode #73 of MN CropCast, hosts David Nicolai and Seth Naeve sit down with Dr. Laura Lindsey, Extension Soybean and Small Grains Specialist at The Ohio State University. Dr. Lindsey shares critical agronomic insights from her career—ranging from baseline Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) sampling to evaluating biological seed treatments and the yield impacts of harvest timing under extreme weather conditions. Plus, get an exclusive look into her flagship research and extension project, "Battle for the Belt," which pits corn and soybean planting dates head-to-head across Ohio field locations.
Catch Dr. Lindsey in person as a featured speaker at the upcoming Minnesota Crop Pest Management (CPM) Short Course in Minneapolis on December 9th!
Discussion Topics:
Baseline Soil & SCN Survey: Early in her OSU career, Dr. Lindsey conducted a statewide survey collecting 299 soil samples across Ohio. The study revealed that 60%–80% of sampled fields contained Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN), even though most participating growers reported believing their fields were SCN-free.
Evaluating Biologicals: She collaborated on multi-state research (via Science for Success) assessing biological seed treatments. The trial data indicated inconsistent and limited yield responses to biological seed treatments, underscoring the challenge of delivering live, viable organisms to the seed under field conditions.
Harvest Timing & Weather Extremes: Research conducted during 2024–2025 highlighted severe yield losses due to weather-delayed harvests. In 2024, severe D4 drought conditions in Western Ohio were immediately followed by heavy rain and humidity from Hurricane Helene, leading to extensive pod shattering, seed decay, and field loss.
Late-Season Seed Quality Issues: Wet, warm late-season conditions late in seed fill increase risks of fungal infections and diseases such as purple seed stain, emphasizing the need for timely harvest.
Project Highlight: “The Battle for the Belt"
Research Concept: Addresses a common grower dilemma: when spring field-work windows are tight, which crop should take planting priority—corn or soybeans?
Trial Design: Side-by-side planting date trials comparing corn and soybean yield decline over 5 distinct planting dates (ranging from late March through the third week of June) across 3 Ohio locations over 3 years.
Key Takeaway: Highlights stark differences in how corn and soybeans physiologically react to identical early-season weather conditions.
Upcoming Opportunity
Dr. Lindsey will present full yield results and management insights from the "Battle for the Belt" project at the Minnesota Crop Pest Management (CPM) Short Course on December 9th in Minneapolis (Conference runs December 8–10).
9 Sept 2026
Turning Ag Data into Dollars: Precision Agronomics with Premier Crop Systems
In Episode #72 of MN Cropcast, hosts Seth Naeve and David Nicolai sit down with Tony Licht from Premier Crop Systems to discuss how turning raw field data into actionable economic insights can support farm profitability and risk management.
Founded in 1999 and based in West Des Moines, Iowa, Premier Crop Systems operates as an independent agronomy and software company. Unaffiliated with seed, chemical, or equipment sales, Premier Crop works behind the scenes with ag retailers, co-ops, and independent advisors across the Midwest to power white-labeled precision ag programs.
Episode Highlights
Tying Economics to Agronomics: Premier Crop integrates soil sampling, application records, weather data, and yield monitor layers to better visualize return on investment. Farmers can analyze cost per bushel and evaluate hybrid performance based on profit margin rather than yield alone.
Targeted Input Strategies: Rather than applying flat-rate strategies across all acres, precision software helps growers segregate fields into distinct productivity zones. High-yielding ground may receive optimized variable-rate seeding and nutrient prescriptions, while lower-yielding areas might receive adjusted inputs to manage operational risk and preserve profit.
Data Ownership & Anonymous Benchmarking: Premier Crop’s system enables regional, anonymous data pooling so farmers can benchmark yield, hybrid selection, and their own productivity zones against peers while maintaining ownership of their data.
Centralizing Farm Data: Licht emphasizes that establishing a central "data warehouse" is the essential first step for growers looking to make more analytical, evidence-based decisions on seed selection, fall fertility, and field-level budgeting.
Tune in to Episode #72 of MN Cropcast on Transistor or your preferred podcast platform for an inside look at modern precision ag decision-making from a behind-the-scenes industry leader.
26 Aug 2026
Update from the Hoosier State with Dr. Shaun Casteel
In this episode of MN CropCast, hosts Dave Nicolai and Dr. Seth Naeve sit down with Dr. Shaun Casteel, Soybean Agronomist at Purdue University. While our agronomic discussion covered a lot of ground, we didn't quite get around to asking whether Boilermakers actually use the term "Hoosier State" when talking about Indiana. We’ll have to tackle that pressing issue in a future episode!
Key Episode Highlights
The Road to Purdue: While he misses his summers walking beans on his childhood farm in Illinois, Shaun has been helping Indiana producers maximize their yields since 2009. We discuss how his graduate research at NC State laid the foundation for his current work in soil fertility.
An Interest in Sulfur (S): Dr. Casteel wasn't always strictly focused on sulfur, but diagnosing stubborn yield limitations in soybeans led him directly to this important and elusive nutrient.
Identifying S Deficiencies: Discover the unique challenges of pinpointing sulfur-responsive fields and why early-planted soybeans might serve as excellent indicators for lower sulfur availability.
Impact of Recent Floods: Dr. Casteel breaks down a tough growing season marked by heavy early-summer rains and repeated torrential downpours in August. With streams breaching their banks and fields drowning out, Indiana will likely fall short of the USDA's early-month forecast of 62 bushels per acre.
Moving Forward with Data: Hear how the Purdue crops team plans to ground-truth remote-sensed data to evaluate the fate of late-flooded fields, keeping a close eye on plant diseases and the overall impact on crop quality and yield.
Want More Indiana Ag?
If you are interested in diving deeper into Indiana crops, be sure to check out the Purdue Crop Chat podcast at: www.hoosieragtoday.com/podcast/purdue-crop-chat/ (https://www.google.com/search?q=http://www.hoosieragtoday.com/podcast/purdue-crop-chat/)
Join us for another great MN CropCast to learn about top-tier researchers and the crops shaping their regions. Listen today!
Who has been a guest on Minnesota CropCast
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Darrol Ike
Mitch Coulter
Jochum Wiersma
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