Crop Progress: Nebraska Corn, Soybean Reach Final Maturity Stage

Aug 21, 2024

For the week ending Aug. 18, 2024, there were 5.5 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 9% very short, 31% short, 56% adequate, and 4% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 10% very short, 32% short, 54% adequate and 4% surplus.

Field Crops Report:

Corn condition rated 3% very poor, 6% poor, 19% fair, 49% good and 23% excellent. Corn dough was 76%, near 79% last year and 77% for the five-year average. Dented was 41%, near 37% last year and ahead of 30% average. Mature was 6%, ahead of 1% both last year and average.

Soybean condition rated 2% very poor, 4% poor, 20% fair, 55% good and 19% excellent. Soybeans setting pods was 88%, ahead of 80% last year and near 86% average. Dropping leaves was 3%, near 2% both last year and average.

Sorghum condition rated 0% very poor, 3% poor, 23% fair, 55% good and 19% excellent. Sorghum headed was 94%, ahead of 84% last year and 85% average. Coloring was 20%, near 23% last year and equal to average.

Oats harvested was 96%, near 93% last year and equal to average.

Dry edible bean condition rated 5% very poor, 7% poor, 28% fair, 44% good and 16% excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 93%, equal to both last year and average. Setting pods was 82%, ahead of 64% last year and 74% average. Dropping leaves was 2%, near 3% both last year and average.

Pasture and Range Report:

Pasture and range conditions rated 8% very poor, 17% poor, 31% fair, 29% good and 15% excellent.

Data for this news release were provided at the county level by USDA Farm Service Agency, UNL Extension, and other reporters across the state.

Source : unl.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.