Nebraska CropWatch

Going to be a warm week for us next week with high temperatures generally in the 80's statewide. Scattered storms possible western and southern sections of the state tomorrow but generally dry weather expected through Thursday. Chances of rain return later next week. 

This episode covers winter weed control, insect survival in mild winters, drought-resistant crops, and upcoming weather patterns affecting Nebraska. Expert insights help farmers prepare for rapid temperature swings, weather challenges, and innovative crop options.  

In this episode of the CropWatch Podcast, Eric Hunt discusses the critical fire danger across Nebraska due to high winds, low humidity, and drought conditions. He emphasizes the need for caution and outlines the upcoming weather changes, including potential snowfall later in the week. The conversation highlights the importance of being aware of fire risks and preparing for changing weather conditions.

In this episode of the CropWatch Podcast, host Eric Hunt discusses critical issues surrounding groundwater and nitrate risk, providing insights from recent research. He also offers a detailed weather forecast for Nebraska, highlighting significant temperature trends, potential storm systems, and the implications of a possible cold snap. The conversation further delves into the current drought conditions affecting the state, emphasizing the need for precipitation to mitigate deficits. The episode concludes with a summary of the week's weather patterns and their impact on agriculture. Takeaways The link between management practices and nitrate mobility is crucial. High nitrogen application rates can lead to groundwater contamination. Temperatures are expected to be significantly above average next week. A weak frontal passage may affect temperatures mid-week. Potential for a cold snap could impact sensitive vegetation. Drought conditions are worsening across Nebraska. Precipitation deficits are significant in many areas of the state. The upcoming storm systems may bring much-needed moisture. Snowfall later in the month could be beneficial for soil moisture. The weather patterns indicate a possibility of colder temperatures returning.  Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Groundwater Concerns 02:18 Weather Forecast and Temperature Trends 06:26 Upcoming Storm Systems and Temperature Fluctuations 10:39 Potential Cold Snap and Its Implications 14:01 Drought Conditions and Precipitation Deficits

Discussion of global temperatures, ongoing drought concerns, recent cold, and the outlook for the next few weeks through the spring.

Chapters 00:00Introduction and Upcoming Events 01:21Current Weather Conditions 04:45Drought Conditions in Nebraska 08:27Weather Forecast for the Week Ahead 14:24Long-Term Weather Outlook

00:00 Introduction to CropWatch Podcast 2026 01:45 Northeast Nebraska Crops Update 02:43 Impact of Recent Rainfall 05:37 Climate Change and Weather Patterns 10:50 Upcoming Weather Forecast and Temperature Changes 14:34 Drought Conditions and Agricultural Implications   Keywords CropWatch Podcast, Nebraska agriculture, weather updates, climate change, drought conditions, rainfall impact, soybean disease, grain storage, nitrogen reduction, weather forecast

In this conversation, Eric Hunt speaks with Hannah Birgé and Jacob Fritton from the Nature Conservancy about the intersection of agriculture and conservation. They discuss their backgrounds, the changes in farming practices over generations, and the economic challenges farmers face. The conversation dives into the Nature Conservancy's approach to working with farmers, the concept of regenerative agriculture, and the importance of soil health. They also touch on technological advancements in farming, the utilization of data, and the idea of stackable enterprises for income diversification. The discussion concludes with reflections on the hope and concerns surrounding modern agriculture and the importance of collaboration and listening in extension work. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Nature Conservancy Team 03:59 Backgrounds and Experiences of the Guests 08:03 The Nature Conservancy's Role in Agriculture 11:55 Economic Hurdles in Conservation Practices 16:59 Understanding Regenerative Agriculture 20:51 Balancing Agriculture and Conservation 25:35 The Technological Evolution of Farming 27:25 Data-Driven Decisions in Agriculture 30:31 Stackable Enterprises: Diversifying Income in Agriculture 35:40 The Role of Global Supply Chains in Agriculture 41:28 Challenges and Opportunities in Modern Agriculture

In this conversation, Eric Hunt discusses recent weather patterns, precipitation deficits, and the implications of La Niña on future weather conditions. He provides insights into drought conditions, snowpack levels, and seasonal weather predictions for the upcoming months, emphasizing the importance of these factors for agricultural planning and crop management.

In this episode, Dr. Ernie Goss (professor of Economics at Creighton) joins to talk about the state of the rural and regional economy, the impact of tariffs, why land is a good investment, why trade is still crucial, and China can play hardball with us more than our neighbors. Ernie ends by discussing the recent closure of the Tyson plant and the unintended consequences of recent political decisions. Ernie also reveals he is the grandson of a Georgia sharecropper and found his way to economics through love of Geography. 

In this episode, Karen Braun of Zaner comes on to talk about weather related challenges with the season's corn and soybean crops, what the USDA report showed today on yield and stock numbers, and what China is or more importantly isn't buying in terms of soybean and how that will affect acreage numbers next year. 

The 2025 season brought lots of diseases and in this episode we get into the details of the diseases and the weather that favored them.  #southernrust #tarspot #Nebraska

In this episode Dr. Scott Irwin, Lawrence J. Norton chair of Agricultural Marketing, offers a history lesson and a very informative update on 45Z and the broader renewable fuels sector. He discusses why the changes in tax credits in the OBBB will be beneficial to ethanol producers but detrimental to SAF. He discusses why ethanol may have a brief resurgence and why hybrid cars are a bigger threat to ethanol than full electric vehicles in the next several years. We finish up with some discussion on carbon intensity scores and Scott discusses why indirect land use charges related to CI scores may make sense in theory but in practice is unfair. 

In this #climate stories episode Dr. Sam Childs shares stories about #severeweather from Indiana and Colorado, including a time he had to get his dorm residents at Purdue to safety during a wintertime tornado warning. He then shifts into discussing how we use a #skewT to assess whether the #atmosphere can produce #thunderstorm and why the terms CAPE and CIN are crucial. Finally, he finishes with some discussion about how storms could change with #climatechange.

Storm chances will exist over the next week and it will be hot at times, especially across the southern portion of the state. 

The 200th episode of the Crop Watch podcast features a detailed discussion with Kyle Broderick, Tamra Jackson-Ziems, and Dylan Mangel about the diseases affecting our crops and gardens and the treatment options for them. 

In the first episode of a new podcast series, Dr. Barb Boustead (local meteorologist) discusses her first book: "Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish". Barb focused on the weather-related hardships that Laura experienced as a child, how those experiences shaped her resilience, how we can use those experiences to prepare us for extreme weather events today, why its important to share stories about past weather events, and ultimately developing the mental framework we will need to protect what we truly cherish in life. Barb's book will be available on July 8th via the South Dakota Historical Press. 

In this episode I discuss the upcoming heat wave and details about heavy precipitation next week in the eastern half of the state.