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Nebraska corn planting slowly picking up pace

A southwest Nebraska farmer says he’s waiting for warmer weather before spring planting begins.

Andy Jobman raises corn and soybeans near Gothenburg. “We still have soils that are continuing to warm up and if we don’t have any cold, wet spells in the forecast in about a week to 10 days, we’ll probably start getting things set, maybe get the first field or two planted.”

The latest crop progress and condition report from USDA says Cornhusker farmers got corn planting underway last week with one percent of the crop in the ground.

He tells Brownfield snow this winter and recent rainfall have helped improve drought conditions some. “Our dry land is going need every shot of moisture that it can that it can get. There’s a noticeable difference in the soil moisture between our irrigated ground and our dry land. Irrigated is honestly sitting in really good shape.”

Winter wheat is rated 30 percent good-to-excellent, and 45 percent of oats have been planted.

Topsoil moisture is rated at 72 percent short-to-very short and subsoil moisture is 79 percent short-to-very short.