Nebraska
Drought improving but still hanging around southeast Nebraska
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The drought is easing in Nebraska, but it’s stubborn in some spots, mainly the southeast part of the state.
On Thursday, the Lincoln-based National Drought Mitigation Center released a map showing that only 20% of the state is in drought.
At this time last year, practically the entire state was parched.
Today, most of Lancaster County is still in moderate drought, though things are improving.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska farmer says wet spring is setting harvest up for success
Tom Peterson, a farmer near Waverly, said the increase in rain gives him hope, but there is still room for improvement.
“We might be able to raise a crop, get enough grass for the cows,” said Peterson. ” I mean, the subsoil moisture isn’t there yet. We’re getting soaked up from the top down, and it hasn’t gotten that far down yet.”
Peterson said growing was difficult in 2023, but this year is looking better.
“The rains have been nice and soaking,” he said. “And that’s beneficial to getting our corn crop and our bean crop off to a good start. Give them the best start they can, and then you got to hope you’re going to continue to get those rains over the summers to keep feeding those things.”
SEE ALSO: Nebraska farmers ‘cautiously optimistic’ as planting begins
While his grass and crops are growing, Peterson said some of the creeks and ponds on his property could use a little more moisture.
“Those ponds are actually ground fed,” he said. “So the water level underneath is what actually brings the water level up in those ponds.
Peterson said once those ponds start to fill, that will be a sign that the drought is no more.
SEE ALSO: ‘Are we going to have a crop?’: Nebraska farmers worried about drought
He is hopeful that Friday morning’s storm will be productive and not destructive.
“We got a good grass stand to start with now, and there’s a good start with that for the cows,” he said. “But if that floods over, that lays all that grass over, covers some of it with mud. And, you know, you lose a lot of tonnage, a lot of a lot of meals for the cows.”
Peterson does not use irrigation, so he’s hoping Mother Nature will give him a helping hand.
“She takes good care of things, most of the time,” he said. “If we don’t have to haul water to the cows, that’s great … We’re dryland farmers. But you know, if Mother Nature gives us a shower every now and then, it’s very beneficial, and you don’t have to sit there and hope for rain.”
SEE ALSO: The latest forecast from the Storm Alert Team
LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen took the next step in securing a special session in the state’s legislature this summer.
Gov. Pillen on Tuesday sent a letter to Speaker John Arch, officially announcing his plans to call senators back to Lincoln on July 25. The purpose of the session is to make more headway on addressing property taxes in Nebraska.
“In my sine die address in April, I stated that I would call a special session this summer to facilitate another opportunity for us to meet Nebraskans’ demand that their elected leaders fix this crisis now,” read the Governor’s letter, in part. “I have traveled extensively across the state since the Legislature adjourned and have heard from a wide range of people. Their message is clear: stop this massive overall tax increase by fixing property taxes.”
Gov. Pillen has been hosting town halls across the state over the past two months since the legislative session ended, working to educate Nebraskans on what he calls a “tax crisis.”
He still has several of those meetings planned:
Wednesday, June 26
1:30 p.m. (CT) Columbus: Columbus Chamber of Commerce, 753 33rd Ave, Columbus
Thursday, June 27
10:00 a.m. (CT) Valentine: Mid Plains Community College, 715 E Hwy 20, Valentine
1:00 p.m. (MT) Chadron: Chadron State College, Student Center – Lakota Room, 1000 Main Street, Chadron
4:30 p.m. (MT) Alliance: Westside Events Center, 2472 County Road 62, Alliance
Friday, June 28
8:30 a.m. (MT) Ogallala: Petrified Wood Gallery, 418 East 1st Street, Ogallala
1:00 p.m. (CT) McCook: Coppermill Steakhouse, 202 Coppermill St., McCook
4:00 p.m. (CT) Lexington: Central Community College – The Opportunity Center, 1501 Plum Creek Pkwy, Lexington
Along with slashing property taxes, Gov. Pillen also wants to ensure that the legislature knows he will call a special session regarding other “unfinished business” leftover from the 2024 legislative session, which could include Nebraska’s move to a “winner-take-all” state during elections.
Copyright 2024 WOWT. All rights reserved.
Nebraska’s unemployment rate in May was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.5%. That rate is unchanged from September 2023 and up 0.4% from May 2023.
Nebraska’s rate is the fourth lowest in the nation. The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2024 is 4.0 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from the April 2024 rate of 3.9 percent and up 0.3 percentage points from the May 2023 rate of 3.7 percent.
“Nebraska’s total nonfarm employment has been on an upward trajectory since February and reached an all-time high in May at 1,077,200,” said Commissioner of Labor John H. Albin. “Omaha’s leisure and hospitality industry saw a large gain over the month, with all the metro areas reaching record highs in total nonfarm employment.”
Further details are available here
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) – The Nebraska International Port of the Plains Authority held their regular monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
Although four members were absent from the meeting, those present proceeded in reviewing what progress has been made so far for the port development project.
In attendance at Tuesday’s meeting were members of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development Ben Goins and Jessica Anderson. Goins and Anderson clarified questions from members about the recent $5 million grant the authority received from the department.
Also at the meeting was Gary Person from the North Platte Area Chamber and Development. Person reported on the many conversations he had with local businesses and the Union Pacific Railroad as a plan starts to finalize for the port project.
Port Authority Vice President Patrick Keenan said all of the cooperation between groups involved has made the port project advance extremely well, but that the project will take time to finish
”There are a lot of people working hard to make this happen, and we appreciate the patience, like any big project,” Keenan said. “Nothing happens easy and nothing happens too quickly, so bear with us, there’s a great learning curve, but we have a lot of good people working hard.”
The port project will bring intermodal traffic to an area of land just east of Hershey along Highway 30. With the port’s location near the Union Pacific Bailey Yard, Lincoln County will become one of the largest areas for rail traffic in the country. Vice President Keenan expressed his excitement for the growth of the area.
“Anything we can do to add volume and add more activity through the area is a good thing,” Keenan said.
The next regular meeting for the Port of the Plains will be on Monday, July 22, 2024 at 2 p.m. in the Lincoln County Commissioner’s office at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
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Copyright 2024 KNOP. All rights reserved.
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