Nebraska corn planting 44% complete; farmers planted 3.1 million acres last week

Current crop year planting progress.

Nebraska farmers continued their rapid planting pace over the last week, with reports from the field noting that many farmers in the eastern half of the state have already wrapped up corn planting. Some have moved onto soybeans while others are taking a break and will hit soybeans hard later this week or next.

According to USDA's crop progress report today, the state's corn crop is 44 percent planted, which is up from 14 percent last week, and up significantly from last year's 12 percent planted by this date and the five-year average of 23 percent planted.

Five-year average planting progress.

That means Nebraska farmers are 266 percent ahead of last year's pace and 91 percent ahead of the five-year average! It also means, should USDA's planting intentions hold, that Nebraska farmers planted 3.1 million acres of corn in the last seven days.

(Not to be outdone, Iowa corn farmers went from 9 to 50 percent planted in one week...that represents some 6 million acres planted in seven days!)

As for emergence, USDA said 4 percent of the state's crop has emerged, up from 1 percent last year and the average.

Nationally, farmers have 53 percent of the crop planted, which is up from 28 percent last week, from only 12 percent last year and just 27 percent for the five-year average.

If USDA's planting intentions number is accurate, that means the country's farmers planted 24 million acres of corn in the last week! They're also 342 percent ahead of last year's pace and 96 percent ahead of average.

Of that planted crop, 15 percent has emerged, which is up from 9 percent last week and is well ahead of last year's 4 percent and the average of 6 percent.

What a difference a year makes!