Nebraska
Drought-resilient crop options for Nebraska corn-soybean growers
Crops-RFP-040626
Nebraska is heading into the 2026 growing season with limited precipitation and groundwater resources. Growers are also facing rising input costs and declining commodity prices, forcing many to rethink how much risk they can afford to carry with irrigated corn and soybeans.
“In years like this, even small shifts in cropping strategy can help protect both yield and profitability,” said Dipak Santra, Nebraska Extension Alternative Crops Breeding specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center. “Alternative crops such as proso millet and field pea offer lower water and nitrogen requirements, making them potential tools for reducing risk in water-limited systems.”
Water limitations are not the only concern for farmers this season. The risk of yield loss could be exacerbated by skyrocketing N-fertilizer prices resulting from the war in the Middle East. The U.S. fertilizer industry depends heavily on imports, and the nation’s prices have reportedly jumped roughly 32 percent in the past few weeks. Prices are expected to rise if the international crisis is prolonged.
“With spring planting approaching, these price increases present additional challenges for producers already managing tight margins,” said Rituraj Khound, UNL post-doctoral research associate. At the same time, corn and soybean market prices have declined by 50 percent and 40 percent, respectively, since 2022.
ALTERNATIVE CROPS
Santra and Khound suggest growers consider alternative cereal millet (proso millet and/or grain sorghum), a crop recognized for its ability to efficiently utilize moisture for producing a considerable yield. Its shallow, fibrous root system effectively takes up early-season water from the topsoil while conserving deeper soil water for subsequent crops.
“Another crop, field pea, is a widely grown pulse crop that is gaining popularity in Nebraska and global health food markets as a source of plant proteins due to its nutrient-dense seeds,” Santra said. “It is also suitable for animal feed as soybean.”
Field peas provide several advantages. Biological nitrogen (N) fixation, enhanced rotation efficiency with cereals, reduced fertilizer requirements, and adaptation to semi-arid conditions due to its early maturity and low seasonal water use. Field pea also helps interrupt common disease cycles when introduced into cereal rotations.
Nebraska is among the states with notable field pea production. In 2025, USDA NASS cited Nebraska farmers harvested approximately 566,667 bushels of field peas from 20,000 acres of farmland.
Dryland millet and peas are both low-input crops that require considerably less seasonal precipitation and minimal fertilizer and herbicide applications, thereby reducing production costs.
In addition to lowering input requirements, both crops contribute to soil health. Field pea supports soil fertility through biological nitrogen fixation and enhanced soil microbial activity, while millet increases soil organic matter deposition, improves soil aggregation, and helps reduce erosion. Together, these crops offer a practical way to improve system resilience and maintain productivity in water-limited environments.
In the face of a challenging growing season, Nebraska farmers could consider diversifying their farms by planting a small portion (e.g., 10-25 percent of the total acreage) of corn with millet, depending on feasibility and resources available on their farms. A similar approach could be used to reduce risk in soybean systems by allocating a portion of acres to dryland field pea.
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Hundreds of people are without power in southeast Nebraska after a severe storm passed through Thursday morning.
The Lincoln Electric System outage map showed 115 customers without power across the city at 11:36 a.m.
Norris Public Power District’s outage map also shows 45 customers affected by the storm. As of 11:36 a.m., there were nine active outages.
According to the Nebraska Public Power District outage map, 657 customers were affected by the storm. Most of the affected customers were near Plattsmouth in southeast Nebraska. As of 11:37 a.m., 27 customers remain without power.
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Mandatory evacuations have been ordered near Crawford, including Fort Robinson State Park, as the South Fork Fire continues to spread in western Nebraska.
According to the City of Crawford, evacuations are currently underway for an area north of Crawford that includes the area south of Dodd Road, west of Dodd Road, and FF Street.
Fort Robinson has also been evacuated.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said Fort Robinson State Park and Peterson Wildlife Management Area have been temporarily closed due to the fire.
The fire has burned approximately 9,000 acres and is currently 0% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Nebraska Game and Parks said the park and the WMA will remain closed until further notice to support firefighting operations and protect public safety.
Nebraska
Nebraska State Runner-up and Futures Finalist Matt Brailita (2026) to Swim for Johns Hopkins
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Omaha, Nebraska native Matt Brailita is headed to Baltimore in the fall. He announced his commitment to Johns Hopkins University earlier this spring, writing on social media:
“I am very excited to announce my commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at Johns Hopkins University ! I’m extremely grateful for everything my family, friends, and teammates have done to support me every step of the way. A special thanks to Coach Tom and Coach Andy for always pushing me beyond what I believed in. Also a huge thanks to Coach Scott and Coach Chris for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime. GO BLUE JAYS!”
Brailita swam for Omaha’s Millard North High School under coach Andy Cunningham. He wrapped up his senior season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the 2026 NSAA Championships, earning lifetime-best times in both the 200 IM (1:50.84) and 100 breast (56.01). He also notched a PB in the 50 free (20.76) while leading off Millard North’s 200 free relay in prelims. He anchored the same relay in finals, splitting 20.01. Brailita leaves Millard North High School as a 10-time State medalist and a multiple-event team record-holder. He was 2026 Metro Conference champion in the 100 fly and as a member of 2 relays, and he was nominated for Metro Omaha World Herald Swimming Athlete Scholar.
Brailita swims year-round with Greater Omaha Aquatic Leopardsharks under coach Tom Beck. In addition to IM and breast, he excels in fly and free. In March, he competed at Columbia Sectionals, where he finaled in the 50 free (15th), 100 breast (11th), 50 fly (8th), 100 fly (10th), and swam prelims in the 50 breast (8th) and 200 IM (10th). He left the meet with new PBs in the 100 free (46.30), 50 breast (26.25), 50 fly (22.51), and 100 fly (49.86).
Last summer, Brailita hit LCM lifetime bests in the 50 breast (30.81), 100 breast (1:06.84), 200 breast (2:29.93), and 200 IM (2:11.12) at Madison Futures, making finals in the IM. He opened the 2026 long-course season with a pair of PBs (24.83 in the 50 free and 27.09 in the 50 fly) at the GOAL Sprint Cup in April.
Brailita will join the Blue Jays’ class of 2030 with Alistair Guth, Finn Nelson, Lukas Funderburk, Matthew Ko, Nicolas Aldana Huelga, Samuel Zhang, and William Thurk. His best times would have scored in the ‘A’ finals of the 200 IM, 100/200 breast, and 50/200 free, and the ‘B’ finals of the 100 free and 100 fly at the 2026 Centennial Conference Championships.
Best SCY times :
- 200 IM – 1:50.84
- 100 breast – 56.01
- 200 breast – 2:06.83
- 50 free – 20.76
- 50 free relay split – 20.01
- 100 fly – 49.86
- 200 free – 1:41.83
- 100 free – 46.30
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