Nebraska Emerges From June With Needed Rainfall, Turns Toward Uncertain July

As the Fourth of July nears and the calendar turns to a key section of the growing season, the state of Nebraska is experiencing some relief from a very dry spring that threatened to derail farmers’ plans. 

Eric Hunt, extension educator for Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said much of the state experienced “significant precipitation” in June. Hunt said pasture conditions in particular were improved after the rainfall. Parts of Central Nebraska, in particular, received more than 7 inches above the average historical rainfall for June. Grand Island had the second-wettest June in its history.

“It was absolutely critical,” Hunt said. “It changed the trajectory of our growing season in a significant way. Without the precipitation we’ve had here in the last 30 to 45 days, the west central, north central part of the state ended up really doing pretty well. I think in terms of improving pasture conditions or at least keeping pasture conditions from deteriorating even further, that was an absolute godsend.”

What’s Ahead?

The June rain gave Nebraska farmers the ability to “give this crop a fighting chance,” Hunt said, and the next month will see opportunities for more precipitation. The rain won’t be as widespread, though. While some areas of the state could still see a surplus of rain, Hunt said there could be some areas that could “get the shaft” and find themselves suffering from more drought pressure if they don’t get rain soon.

Hunt said the radar shows a dry signal for late July and into August. He clarified that there is risk to be had, especially in eastern Nebraska, for high temperatures to cause crop damage.

“Dew points probably could be a little bit higher, humidity might be a little bit higher,” Hunt said. “I do think there may be more pressure on, for certain diseases that love the humidity, particularly those warmer overnight lows. That may be a bit of an issue. 

“Those warmer overnight lows, particularly if you have them for a longer stretch of time — say two weeks right after pollination during that reproductive stage — you do tend to start knocking down your yield, especially if you don’t have optimal conditions for about three or four weeks afterward.”

Hunt said a prolonged stretch of high heat in July and August would “offset what we gained in June.”

Pastures Walking a Fine Line

As for western Nebraska, Hunt said pastures were helped greatly by rain in late May and throughout June, which kept conditions from continuing to deteriorate — but remained at risk heading into July and August. He called the region’s recovery from drought “fragile” and vulnerable to losing precipitation due to its semi-arid climate. 

“If they do go over dry in July, I think that would certainly have a pretty negative impact on pastures. The rains are going to have to continue for the warm season grasses to really have a robust season,” Hunt said.