Karen DeBoer, Extension Educator in Cheyenne County: Wheat looks good in some locations that received as much as an inch of moisture from the March 20-21 snowstorm. Wheat stands are generally good, however, there are locations that were dry at planting time last fall and the wheat never germinated. There also appears to be some wheat that winterkilled. We will know more about disease and insect problems as the temperatures warm up.

Aaron Nygren, Extension Educator in Colfax County: Most of the nitrogen fertilizer in the area was applied as anhydrous last fall or during the warm winter. Before the 20 inches of snow shut down field work, some manure and dry fertilizer had been applied as well as some stalk chopping. Most producers are moving grain to elevators, finishing up maintenance on equipment, and waiting for planting season to approach shortly. Soil moisture is short, although the snow storm and recent rains have helped to improve the situation as well as the optimism of producers.

Terry Gompert, Extension Educator in Knox County: Moisture is the soil is at full profile -- an excellant start for the crop season. On some low value irrigated and non-irrigated cropland farmers are giving up the rent because inputs seem too high. There is some interest in organic farming which would be a means for higher markets and lower inputs. Bromegrass and bluegrass is 1/2 inch tall and growing. Calving is the biggest activity in the area and is now 35% complete. Rentable pasture is still in short supply and rent is increasing. Ten percent of the oat crop was planted prior to the last snow. As soon as soil dries oat and alfalfa will be seeded.

Duane A. Lienemann, Extension Educator in Webster and Clay counties: I have monitored our pastures and wheat fields this past couple of months particularly because of the unusually warm and dry weather. Prior to last week's snow and the rain in late March, we were critically dry. I had probed several pastures in Nuckolls, Webster and Franklin counties for moisture and did not find any moisture down to three feet -- as far as my probe would go. I noted stressed, overgrazed and very dried out looking pastures with a lot of pressure from invaders with several bare spots across the pastures. There is once again a lot of common mullein in pastures and wastelands all across the southern tier of counties. I saw a good number of mullein rosettes in several areas. There is already some downy brome starting in many pastures, alfalfa fields and in wheat. I found an early start of Pennycress in several wheat fields.

The wheat, and particularly the later planted wheat, did not have much moisture to get a good start last fall and looked very dry, spindly and short coming into this much needed moisture. The pennycress was actually taller than the wheat in some fields. We had some wheat fields where it's even difficult to tell whethery they'd been planted. The good heavy snow (we got 14-20 inches) and more recent rains have been wonderful -- it's amazing how much better the wheat looks already. It seems strange to see water in the berms and terrace channels! The pastures however will take longer to show any improvement. There was some concern with alfalfa in that several producers indicated that they wanted to spray for weeds but they felt the alfalfa had broken dormancy in early March. I cannot confirm that at this time however. Most everyone who was going to apply anhydrous did so in January and February. I have never seen a winter like the one we're coming out of. Except for this past week, we have had wonderful calving weather, a big plus for our diversified producers. I think most people were ready for the storm and calving losses were at a minimum in our area. It is muddy in the holding areas, but I haven't heard anyone complain.

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Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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