Crop progress, irrigation season coming to a close

According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office, corn condition is rated 57 percent good and 26 percent excellent, above 2009 ratings. Corn in the dough stage was at 80 percent compared to last week’s 54 percent. Corn in the dent stage was at 32 percent this week compared to 7 percent last week.

Temperature across the state averaged 2 degrees above normal with highs reaching over 100 and lows in the low 50’s. Limited rain fell across the state with the majority happening during the first part of the week.
Nationally, 74 percent of the crop is in the dough stage, which is 16 points ahead of the five-year average and 36 points ahead of last year. Thirty-two percent of the nation’s corn crop is in the dent stage, which is 10 points ahead of the average and 23 points ahead of last year.

As for overall crop conditions, USDA said 83 percent of Nebraska's corn crop was rated good to excellent, with 11 percent as fair and only 6 percent poor or very poor. Nationally, 69 percent of the crop is good to excellent, with 20 percent fair and 11 percent poor or very poor.

This week's photos, from the Nebraska Corn Board's crop progress set on Flickr, feature photos submitted by the Heartland FFA Chapter (top photo), Holdrege FFA Chapter, Howells Clarkson FFA Chapter (bottom photo), and the Sumner Eddyville Miller FFA Chapter.