Statistics indicate that first freeze (28°F) trends for southeast Nebraska are changing, moving slightly later into the fall while those for northwest Nebraska, at the other end of the scale, are not changing. See average first freeze date ranges here.
Ponding or flooding of fields affects corn differently at different stages, depending on duration of flooding and other factors. Growers should assess the potential for nitrogen loss and increase scouting for corn disease in these fields.
Figure 1. The degree of damage from standing water in this field will depend on several factors and likely will lead to direct yield losses or indirect losses from increased disease pressure.
Soybean plants are generally able to withstand a fair amount of flooding in the short term; however, diseases favored by wet conditions may become a problem for the rest of the season. Research shows the length of time the soil is wet and the type of soil will affect plant injury and survival.
Do cover crops affect CO2 emissions from the soil and if so, under what conditions? These were among the questions addressed by university researchers monitoring CO2 emissions from cereal rye cover crops in irrigated and dryland no-till continuous corn treatments.
University research looking at CO2 emissions from two types of residue removal (baling and grazing) compared with a control treatment found little day-to-day impact; however, when looking at cumulative data for the whole year, grazing did appear to affect cumulative CO2 emissions in irrigated crop-livestock systems. This data represents the first year of this study.
While final USDA yield numbers aren't in yet, it looks like 2017 wheat yields could rival the 2016 yields in portions of eastern Nebraska, based on state variety trials and extension educator reports. See the breakdowns by district.
