Key Takeaways
In regions where seasonal precipitation is unpredictable and groundwater reserves are depleting, millet and field pea offer more than mere diversification — they provide resilience to the cropping system as risk-buffering alternative crops. By integrating millet and field pea into corn-soybean-based systems, Nebraska growers can build robust cropping systems that maintain both profitability and productivity under high-risk conditions.
Diverse crops in the rotation lead to overall improvement of soil health.
Both millet and field pea are low-input crops. The net profit could be higher for millet and pea even in the current volatile commodity market. Corn and soybean prices continue to fall as of March 16. Earnings from millet and pea could help exceed (or at least offset) the total farm income due to low input costs.
Drought risk is building across western Nebraska heading into the 2026 growing season, with limited winter snow and continued pressure on groundwater supplies. At the same time, rising input costs and declining commodity prices are forcing many producers to rethink how much risk they can afford to carry with irrigated corn and soybean.
In years like this, even small shifts in cropping strategy can help protect both yield and profitability. Alternative crops such as proso millet and field pea offer lower water and nitrogen requirements, making them potential tools for reducing risk in water-limited systems.
Irrigation Dependence and Aquifer Pressure
Corn and soybean dominate Nebraska’s agricultural landscape, accounting for approximately 88% of the state’s total estimated crop value of $13.5 billion in 2023. The state ranks third in corn production and fifth in soybean production nationally, underscoring the importance of these crops to the state’s economy. Nebraska is also among the top agriculture-based in the U.S., with 44 million acres of farmland (89.4% of the total land area) and $29.4 billion in agricultural product trade (USDA NASS Census, 2022).
Corn and soybean production relies heavily on irrigation, with 65% of corn and 55% of soybean acreage irrigated. More than 80% of that irrigation water is drawn from the Ogallala aquifer, which depends on recharge from rainfall and snowmelt. However, extensive groundwater pumping combined with low recharge rates under ongoing drought conditions has led to rapid aquifer depletion in recent years.
Regional Differences in Water Availability
Nebraska exhibits a strong east-west precipitation gradient, with western Nebraska receiving substantially lower annual precipitation (~14-18 inches) than eastern Nebraska (~30-34 inches). The western part of the state is also characterized by highly variable weather patterns. Unlike eastern Nebraska — where corn and soybean dominate cropping systems — crops adapted to semi-arid conditions, such as winter wheat and proso millet, are predominantly grown in this region, primarily under dryland production.
While production is largely concentrated in the eastern part of the state, western Nebraska maintains substantial irrigated corn acreage and limited soybean acreage, relying heavily on groundwater resources to sustain production.
Drought Outlook for 2026
Western Nebraska faces a risk of severe to extreme drought during the 2026 growing season due to extremely low winter snow accumulation, especially in parts of Scotts Bluff, Box Butte, Morrill, Garden, Cheyenne and Sheridan counties (Figure 1). Multi-day high-wind events during warm March periods in this region further deplete already scarce soil moisture, compounding dry conditions.
Given these climatic constraints and the vulnerability of cropping systems to water-limited environments, diversifying cropping systems with water-use-efficient alternative crops is becoming increasingly important to reduce production risk during drought years.
Rising Input Costs Add to Production Risk
Water limitations are not the only concern this season. The risk of yield loss could be exacerbated by skyrocketing fertilizer prices resulting from the war in the Middle East. The U.S. fertilizer industry depends heavily on imports, and the nation’s prices have reportedly jumped roughly 32% in the past few weeks. Prices are expected to rise further if shipments do not arrive on time due to the prolonged international crisis.
With spring planting approaching, these price increases present additional challenges for producers already managing tight margins. At the same time, corn and soybean market prices have declined by 50% and 40%, respectively, since 2022.
Together, these pressures are forcing producers to reconsider input decisions and cropping strategies. Some experts suggest that corn growers may need to reduce acreage or substantially lower nitrogen (N) application rates to manage both rising costs and declining returns. In this environment, incorporating lower water- and nitrogen-requiring crops may offer a way to maintain both productivity and economic viability.
Why Consider Proso Millet?
Millet — also known as proso millet or hog millet — is recognized for its ability to efficiently utilize moisture for producing a considerable yield. Its shallow, fibrous root system effectively takes up early-season water from the topsoil while conserving deeper soil water for subsequent crops.
Compared with corn and winter wheat, this C4 summer grass can produce grain with considerably less water, making it well-suited to water-limited environments. Its short growing season (60-90 days) allows for flexible planting windows from early May to late June.
In addition to water efficiency, millet can enrich soil organic matter, disrupt pest and disease cycles, and reduce weed pressure. Due to its substantial agronomic attributes, proso millet has been integrated into cropping systems in the High Plains, particularly in eastern Colorado, western Nebraska and South Dakota. Nebraska ranks as the second-largest millet producer in the U.S., with 3.5 million bushels harvested (about 25% of national production) from 95,000 acres in 2025 (USDA NASS).
Why Consider Field Pea?
Field pea is a widely grown pulse crop that is gaining popularity in the worldwide organic and health food markets due to its nutrient-dense seeds. It is suitable for animal feed and as an alternative source of animal proteins.
From an agronomic standpoint, field pea provides several advantages — biological nitrogen (N) fixation, enhanced rotation efficiency with cereals, reduced fertilizer requirements, and adaptation to semi-arid conditions due to its early maturity and low seasonal water use. Field pea also helps interrupt common disease cycles when introduced into cereal rotations.
Although its acreage remains limited, Nebraska is among the notable field pea-growing states. In 2025, Nebraska farmers harvested approximately 566,667 bushels of field pea from 20,000 acres of farmland (USDA NASS).
Low-Input Crops for Water-Limited Systems
Dryland millet and pea are both low-input crops, requiring considerably less seasonal precipitation than corn and soybean (Figure 2). They also require minimal fertilizer and herbicide applications, which can significantly reduce production costs.
In addition to lowering input requirements, both crops contribute to soil health. Field pea supports soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation and enhanced soil microbial activity, while millet increases soil organic matter deposition, improves soil aggregation, and helps reduce erosion.
Together, these crops offer a practical way to improve system resilience and maintain productivity in water-limited environments.
Where These Crops Fit in Nebraska Systems
In the face of a challenging growing season, Nebraska farmers could consider diversifying their farms by planting millet or field pea on a portion of their farmland currently under irrigated corn or soybean. This approach can help reduce the risk of yield losses tied to limited water availability and constrained fertilizer use.
Opportunities in Western Nebraska
Millet stands out as an excellent option when winter wheat fails due to extreme weather conditions. Field pea is an ideal alternative to the region’s irrigated crops, particularly corn, sugar beet and dry beans.
Considering current production risks, a few acres of irrigated corn could be transitioned to rainfed proso millet to reduce water use, fertilizer and overall costs (Figure 3). For example, growers may consider planting millet on 10-25% of the land typically allocated to irrigated corn. This strategy can help reduce the risk of exhausting irrigation allotments or applying reduced N rates that could limit corn yield potential.
Similarly, dryland field pea can be incorporated to support sugar beet and dry bean production in that region.
Opportunities in Eastern Nebraska
In eastern Nebraska, millets (proso millet or grain sorghum) and field pea could be ideal crops to supplement corn and soybean production, respectively. Grain sorghum may be a more practical option than proso millet in this region, as it is already widely grown in southeastern Nebraska — the state’s major irrigated Corn Belt.
Growers might replace a small portion (e.g., 10-25% of the total acreage) of corn with millet, depending on feasibility and resources available on their farms. A similar approach could be used to reduce risk in soybean systems by allocating a portion of acres to dryland field pea.
A Flexible, Risk-Based Approach
The production scenarios outlined above are intended as exploratory strategies rather than broad recommendations. Decisions to supplement corn and soybean with alternative crops will depend on a multitude of factors, including local weather patterns, available soil moisture, irrigation allotments, market opportunities, logistics, and crop insurance considerations.
