Crops and Crop Production in North Dakota

Joel Ransom

North Dakota Ag Overview~90% of land mass is farmed

Basic agricultural statistics

• Land in farms = 39,600,000 acres• Number of farms = 31,910• Average farm size = 1,241• Crop dominates livestock related agriculture in

most counties• Few dairies remain in the state• Five ethanol plants consume ~40% of the corn

produced in the state

Major crops produced• Spring wheat = 5.5 million acres• Soybeans = 4.6 million acres• Corn = 3.4 million acres• Durum = 1.4 million acres• Canola = 1.3 million acres• Barley = 1.1 million acres• Winter wheat = 750,000 acres• Sunflowers = 740,000 acres• Dry edible beans = 660,000 acres• Flax = 260,000 acres• Peas = 250,000 acres• Sugar beets = 220,000 acres• Lentil = 180,000• Oats = 110,000 acres

2011 rank in the U.S. Commodity Percent of Nation’s production

1 Beans, dry edible, all 25% 1 Beans, navy 35% 1 Beans, pinto 46% 1 Canola 83% 1 Flaxseed 87% 1 Honey 22% 1 Sunflower, oil 40% 1 Wheat, Durum 36% 1 Wheat, spring 37% 2 Sunflower, all 38% 2 Sunflower, non-oil 24% 2 Wheat, all 10% 3 Barley 11% 3 Lentils 17% 3 Oats 8% 3 Peas, dry edible 21% 3 Sugarbeets 16% 4 Safflower 1% 6 Hay, alfalfa 6% 6 Potatoes 5% 9 Hay, all 4% 10 Soybeans 4% 12 Corn for grain 2% 17 Hay, other 2% 26 Wheat, winter 1%

Trends in corn production in ND, 1981-2010

y = 2.0423x + 62.129

R2 = 0.6624

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Challenges of growing corn in ND

• Drought – corn is a high water user

• Short growing season– Getting corn dry enough

to bin in the fall without drying is difficult because of low temperatures after maturity

Relative Maturity Recommendations for North Dakota.

Does Using Fungicides on Corn in the Northern Plains Pay?

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Effect of Headline applied after tasseling on corn yield, Carrington and Prosper, 2008-2010.

Untreated Headline

Location/year

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Disease response to fungicides, Prosper & Carrington, 2008.

Disease Severity (%)

Treatment Prosper Carrington

Untreated 3.9 3.5

Headline 2.5 1.6

Effect of planting date on yield, moisture and test wt, Carrington, ND, 2003

020406080

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Yield Test Wt Moisture %

1-May20-May9-Jun

Plant on or before 1 May

N fertilization strategies

• Minimize fall applications due to potential losses

• Rate = 1.0 to 1.2 x yield goal

• Apply bulk pre-plant or at planting

• Splits should be applied before tasseling

• Highest N demand V12 to VT

Effect of tile drainage and additive at the 112 N rate on yield of corn, NW22, 2011.

Not drained Drained100105110115120125130135140145150

Urea Agrotain SuperU Instinct Nutrisphere

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Production issues in wheat

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Production and yield trends of wheat (all classes) in ND 1995-2011

Planted Yield

Northwest MN Planting Rate Studies Affect of Seeding Rate on HRS Yield. Seven Variety

Average Wiersma. 1996-1998. Crookston, MInnesota

Optimum plants = also about 35 per sq. ft

Grain Yield (% of mean)

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Relationship between protein and yield

Northern locations 2009 - 2011: 20 environments

General recommendations with application of Post-anthesis Nitrogen

• After flowering is completed through watery-ripe seed stage (main stem head)

• 30 lbs N/acre (10 gal UAN) provides an average increase of one-half percentage point of protein

• Potential for significant leaf burning using UAN – dilute with water (e.g. 50:50)– apply evenings, early mornings, or cloudy days

• Similar response among cultivars• No statistically-significant differences with response for

grain yield, test weight and seed size

Protein increase with post anthesis UAN application (30 lb/acre N)

C88DC89DC90DC91DC90IC91I

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Percent protein Increase with application

Effect of N treatment on Yield, Crookston

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Effect of N treatment on protein average of varieties

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Tan spot the most common disease

Overwintering Fruiting Bodies on Wheat Straw

Early season tan spot

Bacterial Leaf Streak

• No control options, but there are differences among variety responses

• Good data in 2011, 1st complete set of ratings presented

Crop Sequence Effects in Phase II Experiment

Residue Phase II CSE: Percent Seed Yield Increment or Decrement: 1999 and 2000 Crops

crops Dry Barley Crambe Spring Canola Dry Flax Soy- Saf- Sun-1998, 1999 Year pea wheat bean bean flower flower

Dry pea 1999 2 1 31 -7 11 13 -4 3 17 12

2000 -13 3 -7 2 2 14 7 -4 17 28

Barley 1999 1 -3 12 1 7 24 10 2 24 12

2000 1 -17 23 -1 9 -1 -77 11 18 0

Crambe 1999 -15 8 -2 -4 -6 -10 8 -1 -3 10

2000 6 10 1 8 -2 -44 -1 -28 -12 -27

Spring 1999 20 2 4 2 -5 -29 6 -10 15 -5

wheat 2000 2 7 9 -14 2 9 19 -1 17 9

Canola 1999 -8 1 -6 7 2 16 10 -1 14 1

2000 -10 -7 -77 0 -22 -17 -10 4 -41 -7

Dry 1999 1 -9 -13 -1 2 10 2 9 0 2

bean 2000 4 4 -12 6 15 2 20 -18 -16 29

Flax 1999 5 0 -1 9 12 5 -54 -3 -3 12

2000 0 10 23 1 -1 7 -57 7 36 11

Soy- 1999 -9 -5 -8 3 -10 2 18 22 -1 -5

bean 2000 15 -3 7 -9 -10 9 33 18 -9 -1

Saf- 1999 0 -1 -16 -10 -12 -24 -7 -16 -49 -24

flower 2000 7 2 -13 11 9 4 37 -17 -25 -16

Sun- 1999 3 5 -2 1 -1 -8 9 -5 -15 -17

flower 2000 -11 -9 46 -3 -2 16 29 29 14 -26

Residue (left side) and expected (top) crops are listed in order of increasing average water use.

Units are percent increase or decrease in seed yield of expected crop caused by preceding residue crop.

Residue Phase III CSE: Percent Seed Yield Increment or Decrement: 2003 and 2004 Crops

crops Dry Lentil Chick- Buck- Proso Canola Spring Grain Corn Sun-2002, 2003 Year pea pea wheat millet wheat sorghum flower

Dry pea 2003 -14 9 0 58 27 -4 5 64 55 10

2004 -13 26 36 31 26 41 23 x x x 29 43

Lentil 2003 19 -9 6 7 24 -12 6 67 41 34

2004 -12 -27 -42 -1 10 46 13 x x x 19 -15

Chick- 2003 19 -6 3 17 18 9 -1 22 58 -17

pea 2004 -28 -39 -61 -12 4 6 3 x x x 17 34

Buck- 2003 -14 2 -14 -17 9 19 3 -13 -40 20

wheat 2004 -2 -13 23 -1 -7 -3 -8 x x x -48 -93

Proso 2003 6 20 12 10 -23 9 -1 -60 -58 -5

millet 2004 51 9 15 -13 -6 -7 0 x x x 23 37

Canola 2003 -2 3 -2 -13 8 -6 2 29 44 28

2004 -13 14 30 10 4 9 -6 x x x -23 -14

Spring 2003 3 17 11 -15 -13 -2 -3 25 -8 27

wheat 2004 37 63 29 18 5 -9 19 x x x 31 26

Grain 2003 -17 -22 4 -16 -32 11 -2 -58 -8 2

sorghum 2004 -21 -21 -15 -24 -12 -56 -15 x x x -12 -11

Corn 2003 -6 9 -4 -7 -21 -1 5 -35 -58 -35

2004 -7 -13 2 -3 -14 3 -25 x x x -20 4

Sun- 2003 4 -24 -16 -23 2 -23 -14 -42 -26 -64

flower 2004 11 1 -17 -3 -11 -28 -3 x x x -17 -11

Residue (left side) and expected (top) crops are listed in order of increasing average water use.

Units are percent increase or decrease in seed yield of expected crop caused by preceding residue crop.

Crop Sequence Effects in Phase III Experiment

Conclusions

• ND is a key agricultural state– Land is mostly devoted to agriculture– Cropping is more important than animal production– ND leads in production of many commodities– Diversity of crops provides interesting challenges

and opportunities• Short growing season and uncertainly of rainfall

(western) are the main constraints