Figure 1. Areas of Elkhorn River bottomland in eastern Nebraska received substantial rain in the last week and are wet to flooded. (Photo by Nathan Mueller)

Figure 2. Stemphylium leaf spot in alfalfa in eastern Nebraska. (Photo by Nathan Mueller)

Figure 3. Narrow row, no-till soybeans planted into 30-inch row corn are at the start of flowering in this Merrick County field in eastern Nebraska. (Photos by Troy Ingram)

Figure 4. Replanted corn beside originally planted corn, about 3 miles south of Archer, Merrick County. This field was replanted following damage from a June 3 hail storm. (Taken late June, 2014)

Tyler Williams, Extension Educator in Phelps and Gosper Counties: The Phelps and Gosper area overall is still saturated. Soil moisture probes from the local NRCS show the irrigated fields at 99% field capacity to 4 feet. Their non-irrigated probe shows 92% field capacity to 4 feet. We have remained mostly dry over the last week and peak ET is upon us, so many farmers are monitoring the soil water status to begin irrigation.

Corn is at about the 16-leaf stage and silking is right around the corner. Soybeans are beginning to canopy and have really come around the last five to seven days. Most of the wheat in the area is mature and I would suspect that harvest would commence very soon. The largest wheat areas in Phelps and Gosper counties and down into Furnas and Harlan counties received some hail a few weeks ago and some fields were lost, but most were able to maintain a sufficient stand. I have not received any preliminary reports on the yield decrease due to the storms.

Some of the farmer concerns in the last week were replacing over-turned pivots, replanting options, ridging tall corn, and controlling volunteer corn in soybeans. Wet conditions put some fieldwork activities behind schedule.

Follow Williams blog at agclimatenebraska.weebly.com/

Nathan Mueller, Extension Educator in Dodge County: Corn and soybeans on well-drained fields in the Platte River valley are in fair to good condition and some will tassel by next week. In areas where soils are waterlogged, growers are seeing Platte Valley Yellows or iron deficiency chlorosis in soybeans. Bacterial blight (Pseudomonas savastanoi pv glycinea) is common in soybeans across the county. The bacteria overwinters in crop residues and is favored by cool (70-80s), wet weather early in the growing season and is moved by wind and rain onto soybean plants into natural openings and wounds. Warmer and dryer weather will be a natural control mechanism. Fungicide applications will not be effective against a bacteria.

This week growers started taking the second cutting of alfalfa, the next most common crop after corn and soybeans in the county with about 3,500 acres. The second cutting for alfalfa is in good condition. I did notice some Stemphylium leaf spot (confirmed by UNL Plant Pathologist Stephen Wegul0) in alfalfa fields. This biotype of the disease is favored by cool, wet conditions.

See more photos and information in Mueller's blog at croptechcafe.org/

Troy Ingram, Extension Educator in Merrick County: We received about 2.5 inches of rain this past week.  Pivots are still sitting idle, which is not normal for the first week in July! The ET Gage that I monitor north of Central City only dropped 1 inch this past week. Soil profile is full in the areas where I have soil moisture sensors.

Corn and soybeans that were not affected by the hail in June are looking good. Corn is around the V10 - V12 stage. Soybeans are starting to flower.  A lot of producers in the county had to replant due to hail. Replant corn is up to about V3 and replant soybeans are at about V1 - V2.  Post emerge applications of herbicides are also being applied.

Wheat is in the hard dough stage and will be ready in the next few weeks.

With all the rain this past month it has been a struggle for producers to get their hay put up.  Those who did not get an early start are still working on first cutting and those who did are knocking down second cutting.