The latest USDA report shows Nebraska farmers are making good progress in their fields.
The Husker State’s corn crop is 44% planted, well ahead of last year’s 12%. Only 6% of the soybeans are in, which is also ahead of the average for this date of 2%. Oats are 93% planted.
Paul Bertels, an economist with the National Corn Growers Association, says things are looking good across the region, so far.
“There’s a lot of things that can happen between now and fall but from what we hear, they’re off to a good start,” Bertels says.
Corn prices remain at more than $6 a bushel, but Bertels says a record or near-record crop would push that down somewhat. He says early planting across the Corn Belt could make for an excellent harvest.
“Right now, moisture does not seem to be a problem in most of the Corn Belt, either too much or too little,” he says. “This cold weather over the past two weeks is a little troubling and it might slow the emergence down a bit, but things are off to a good start.”
In the 18 states that grow the vast majority of the nation’s corn, 53% of the crop is in the ground.
