University of Minnesota students conducted crucial genome sequencing for the newly discovered soybean gall midge — a pest that is threatening the soybean crop, one of the most widely cultivated and consumed throughout the world. This small fly has been found in major soybean-producing states in the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Missouri. 

Grape growers and wine lovers take note: The University of Minnesota is releasing its sixth cold-hardy wine grape, Clarion.

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have published the 2022 Minnesota Field Crop Trials. Visit varietytrials.umn.edu/2022 to see variety trials for nine different Minnesota crops.

Crops included in this year’s trial include barley, canola, corn grain, corn silage, oat, soybean, spring wheat, winter rye, and winter wheat. Due to a delay in processing data, a full report for winter wheat will be available in mid-December.

A team of researchers, led by University of Minnesota Professor Jerry Shurson, developed and validated a new surrogate virus assay for African Swine Fever virus (ASFV). This surrogate virus assay will allow researchers to better understand how ASFV survives in feed ingredients and to explore strategies to inactivate the virus and decontaminate facilities in the event of a potential ASFV contamination.

A University of Minnesota-led team of researchers received the first round of funding from a $10 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to follow up on their work with VitisGen2, a multi-disciplinary, collaborative project focused on cultivating disease-resistant grapes that can be grown sustainably with reduced pesticide and fossil fuel use. 

The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘MN-Rothsay.’ MN-Rothsay features a good combination of yield, protein, and disease resistance and exceptional straw strength.

In the age of herbicide resistant weeds, the herbicide dicamba is a useful tool to Minnesota soybean farmers. With support from Minnesota’s Rapid Agricultural Response Fund, CFANS Professor Tim Griffis and his team have been conducting research to better measure and understand how dicamba moves across the landscape. Learn how that research has led to the development of best practices and guided state regulations.

The University of Minnesota continues to explore the development of an advanced agricultural research complex in Mower County, a bold vision for innovative research and workforce development in Minnesota to address an important market need helping farmers and industry meet this crucial moment in sustainable food production.

From farm to fork, this complex will serve as a state-of-the-art teaching and research hub that will propel vital discoveries and further establish Minnesota’s position as a global catalyst and leader in food and agriculture innovation. Read the full announcement.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics announce the release of a new six-row winter barley variety called MN-Equinox. Available for Fall 2022 planting, MN-Equinox is facultative, meaning it can be planted in either the spring or fall, giving growers flexibility in planning their rotations and adapting to weather conditions.

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have published the 2021 Minnesota Field Crop Trials. Visit varietytrials.umn.edu/2021 to see variety trials for 10 different Minnesota crops.

In an effort to get yield results from the fields to growers in a more timely fashion, the Minnesota Field Crop Trials now have a dedicated website to house all variety trial information. This new website is under development to allow researchers to share yield and other key field results with producers before the full publication is released. Visit varietytrials.umn.edu

Oxygen levels in the world’s temperate freshwater lakes are declining at rates faster than in the oceans, according to research from the University of Minnesota and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It’s a trend researchers found is largely driven by climate change and land use, threatening freshwater biodiversity and the quality of drinking water. Read more about this research discovery.

With funding from the MAES Rapid Agricultural Response Fund, University of Minnesota researchers at the Minnesota Center for Prion Research (MNPRO) have developed a novel approach to field testing chronic wasting disease (CWD). The team confirmed their findings in southeast Minnesota the week of March 8, 2021, making them the first-ever scientists to successfully deploy a CWD field test. Read more about this research discovery.

Since 1975, David Hansen has documented thousands of research projects and their footprint on everyday life for the University of Minnesota. Now retired, his photo collection has been added to UMedia fulfilling a long-term goal to have his photos freely accessible to the University and public to enjoy for decades to come.

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) at the University of Minnesota has awarded approximately $2.31 million from the Rapid Agricultural response Fund (RARF) to 10 research projects that will help protect Minnesota’s agricultural sector from current and emerging threats.

The Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) and the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) have officially published the 2020 Field Crop Trials. 

The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘MN-Torgy.’ MN-Torgy features a good combination of yield, protein, straw strength and disease resistance.

The University of Minnesota (UMN), in collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan, has released a new white hull oat variety called ‘MN-Pearl.’ MN-Pearl is a high-yielding variety with good straw strength and high groat percentage. It also has good overall disease resistance including moderate crown rust resistance and excellent smut resistance.

The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘MN-Washburn.’ MN-Washburn features excellent straw strength and good overall disease resistance. In particular, it contains the bdv2 gene for resistance to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus making in an excellent choice in years when BYDV is prevalent. 

The University of Minnesota has released a new hard red spring wheat variety called ‘Lang-MN.’ It is a well-balanced, high yielding spring wheat variety well suited for much of the spring wheat-growing region. Lang-MN is named after Ben Lang, past president of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA).