Latest Updates from cropwatch.unl.edu

Spring pea trials at the UNL High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney, Nebraska. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) The 2023 trials included winter and spring peas from ProGene and Meridian Seeds, winter peas from Seed Ranch and spring peas from Valesco Genetics.

Dave Ostdiek (left), retired UNL PREEC communications specialist, and Bijesh Maharjan, UNL PREEC associate professor, stand with the unveiled Knorr-Holden sign on Aug. 23. In 2021, Ostdiek and Maharjan put in an extensive effort to commemorate the Knorr-Holden plot with a signboard depicting the research land’s significance. UNL faculty members recently celebrated the Knorr-Holden Plot's century-long historical value to agricultural research. Located near Scottsbluff, Knorr-Holden is in the top five oldest continuous field-crop experiments in the U.S.

In its 2023 on-farm research studies, the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network is working with Nebraska farmers to evaluate which dry bean varieties are best-suited for direct harvest.

Timothy Porch, research geneticist at USDA ARS, left, and Carlos Urrea, Nebraska Extension dry bean breeding specialist, scout a plot of dry beans. (Photo by Chelsea Didinger) Researchers at UNL and USDA ARS in Puerto Rico are collaborating on the development of new drought-tolerance dry bean lines using plant genes from tepary beans, a crop native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

Vesh Raj Thapa, UNL post-doctoral research assistant, stands behind root samples from the plots at WREEC in North Platte. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) Researchers collaborating in a UNL-USDA NRCS study on cover crops highlight the importance of species selection, as each type of cover crop has a unique root system that contributes differently to soil health.

A session on drones was held at the annual Water and Crops Field Day at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, West Central Research Extension and Education Center in North Platte. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) The 2023 Water and Crops Field Day featured seminars and panels on crop and livestock production practices that align with USDA's new climate-smart agriculture initiatives.

Dipak Santra, left, and other University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and graduate students in a plot of field peas at the UNL High Plains Ag Lab Field tour in June 2023. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) The conference will cover a wide range of agronomic topics for field peas, chickpeas, black-eyed peas and other pulses, including management of nutrients and diseases, genetics, crop insurance, policy and more.

Rejuvra™ is a new rangeland herbicide product from Bayer that controls cheatgrass seedlings. It should be applied in early fall before seeds germinate and can provide control up to two years post-application. Management insights on controlling cheatgrass, wild oats and fall armyworms in pastures, and using growing degree days to schedule your final alfalfa harvest.

Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. Sorghum harvest was underway in Nebraska as of Sept. 17, and crop conditions remained unchanged from the previous week.

To receive 2024 weekly crop water use reports via text message, subscribe on the PHREC AgLab site.

Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone reviews crop water use during the 2023 irrigation season and highlights a new feature for receiving 2024 reports via text.

Learn how to accurately identify Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans and select appropriate control options for your operation.

Information on how to deal with the aftermath of severe thunderstorms with hail and tornadoes, from handling insurance to managing recovery crop.

New research is being conducting in the Nebraska Panhandle on ways to increase production of millets, an ideal dryland crop with short growth duration with exceptional nutrition, particularly for gluten-sensitive and diabetic individuals.

Though August began with drought-relieving rainfall in Nebraska, it ended in a record-setting heat wave that took a toll on crops and livestock across almost all of the state.

Nebraska has three chances at precipitation throughout the next week, which falls in line with the latest CPC forecast that favors above average temperatures and precipitation for most of the remainder of the month.

The UNL Agronomy and Horticulture fall seminar series features a new lineup of experts presenting research and insights on fertigation techniques and pest management to the latest advances in plant genetics and soil health concepts.

Trading crop residue bales for manure may seem like it should be a simple decision, but there are many factors that weigh into that decision, both financial and logistical in nature. Insights on how to initiate a fair trade of crop residue and manure between producers with respect to costs and logistics of the transaction for both parties.

The forecasted yield potential this season is 7% below the historical average for both rainfed and irrigated corn, similar to predictions in September 2022.

Historical crop production reports for Nebraska are available at USDA. While predictions have decreased slightly, grain sorghum is still on track for a remarkable production year in Nebraska, with bushels forecast at 191% above last year.

U.S. soybean acreage is down 4% from last year, and corn acreage is up 7%. View Nebraska's planted acreage in this report. According to NASS's Sept. 12 report, U.S. soybean production is down 3% in 2023, while corn production is up 10%.