This field of winter wheat south of North Platte looks pretty good from the road (top), but closer examination within the field reveals large areas of winterkill and crop loss. (Photos by Robert Klein)

April 17, 2015

Wheat Production

• Winter Wheat Reports and Post-Damage Management Options. Wheat condition reports from across the state indicate varying degrees of winter injury and kill. In response Extension agronomist Robert Klein discusses cropping and management options.

Planting

• Preseason Field Check of Planting Equipment. Five tips for checking planter set-up for optimal performance in the field.
• View daily updates of Nebraska soil temperatures, provided by the High Plains Regional Climate Center.
• See more corn planting stories in the April 3 and April 10 issues of CropWatch.
• Most Profitable Corn Populations? See what farmers found in five years of On-Farm Research Studies.  This is an update of a recent story to include more population and yield data.

On-Farm Research

• Test it For Yourself.  If you're interested in conducting seeding rate trials to determine the optimal rate for your conditions, opportunities are available via the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network. Learn more about joining other producers in this research.

Cover Crops

• UNL Initiates Study of Cover Crops in Corn and Soybean Systems. Four sites, two irrigated and two dryland, have been planted under various cropping systems and rotationis to study effect of cover crops on yield.

IANR & Extension

• Robert Fraley to be April 21 Heuermann Lecturer. Plan to join us in Lincoln or view online when Fraley, a 2013 World Food Prize Laureate and Monsanto Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, presents "2050: Agriculture's Role in Mitigating Global Challenges."

• Market Journal: Economics of Ethanol, plus Corn and Soybean Markets. View segments on the corn and soybean markets, a UNL report released this week on the value of ethanol, managing forage production, and the forecast for the coming week.
  
  UNL Agricultural Economist Dennis Conley discusses a UNL study released this week: the Economic Impacts of the Ethanol Industry in Nebraska. The study's purpose was to  estimate the value of production for a five-year period and compare that value to major commodity production values in Nebraska. In addition, the study measured productive capacity, employment, net returns, in-state utilization and out-of-state shipments. Nebraska is the second largest producer of ethanol (behind Iowa) in the US. The report notes that the average value of Nebraska's ethanol industry has been about $5 billion for each of the last three years.