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Irrigation helping northeast Nebraska crops weather dry conditions

Northeast Nebraska farmer Quentin Conneally says this year’s rainfall has been feast or famine.

“It seems like a fine line to get some rains running north towards Sioux Falls and then down to Omaha and south. We can’t catch a good break here to keep everything moving around.”

He farms along the Missouri River, about an hour north of Omaha, and tells Brownfield rain events have been spotty but conditions are better than expected. “We’ve been pumping water, but I’d say for the most part early planted corn is tasseling and the second week of planting, that stuff is starting to poke some tassels.”

And, he says, “Right now, it rolls up in the afternoon to contain moisture. We’re still trying to get some water on, but it looks pretty spiffy for how cold early season was and the lack of rain that we’ve been missing here lately.”

He says soybeans also in good shape and he expects to start irrigating the crop in a couple of weeks.