News

Nebraska soil moisture improves slightly

Wet, cold conditions during parts of February helped Nebraska’s soil moisture levels improve, but also had an effect on winter wheat.

The USDA says 33% of Nebraska’s winter wheat crop is rated good to excellent, steady with January, but 44% is now called fair, a decline of 6%, which moved into the poor to very poor categories.

More than half of the state now has adequate topsoil moisture and the subsoil moisture level also moved higher, but as with most of the Plains, drought or near drought conditions remain an issue in much of Nebraska.

The USDA’s weekly crop progress and condition reports resume in April.