How Many Acres Stand Between Nebraska Farmers and the End of 2024 Harvest?

As harvest nearly wraps up in Nebraska, here’s a look at the latest numbers from USDA, along with agronomist input on how this season went and some outlook for next year. 

Corn and Soybean Harvest Progress

Harvested corn in Nebraska reached 94% as of Nov. 10, an increase of four percentage points for the week. With that, Nebraska farmers are seven percentage points ahead of the average progress of the last five years. With 6% of the crop unharvested, there’s just 582,000 acres of corn left to run, according to USDA’s August Crop Production report. 

As for soybeans, 99% of the crop had been harvested by Nov. 10, an increase of one percentage point for the week. That puts soybean harvest ahead of the five-year average by one percentage point. Nebraska farmers have 52,500 acres of soybeans standing between them and the end of the season, based on the Crop Production report data.

The acres that remain unharvested are localized to the northern part of the state, according to Syngenta agronomist Travis Gustafson. “Some parts of northern and north east Nebraska still have a little ways to go. Progress has been slowed down due to recent rains that have moved through.”

As harvest wraps up, Nebraska’s weather has been seasonably cooler, and there’s been a shift toward more precipitation, said. Gustafson. Although soil moisture in the eastern and central parts of the state is now adequate, “more rain would be welcome,” he said.

Reflecting on This Season, Anticipating the Next

Gustafson reflected on the season, saying “Like any year, this year had its challenges from too much rain early to not enough later in the season.” He also mentioned that corn diseases “took center stage in July and August.” The agronomist said that, overall, growers were pleased with crop yields.

The agronomist shared what he foresees for the growing season next year: “The big challenge will be low commodity prices along with high fertilizer prices. Growers will have to get creative to maintain acceptable margins.”