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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OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Legalizing online sports betting has met with resistance in the Nebraska Legislature for years.
Tax Relief Nebraska, a group backed by Nebraska casinos and online sports betting groups, took the issue to the people of the state through a petition drive.
Those petitions are now in, and casino officials say they expect to have enough signatures to make the November ballot — but also expect pushback through Election Day.
The case for online betting
Currently, legal sports bets cannot be placed on a phone in Nebraska. Casino operators say people who choose to wager are finding other ways to do it.
“They’re just doing it illegally through a virtual private network, or they’re driving over to the first exit between Iowa and Nebraska, placing a bet and then driving back to their home,” said Lynne McNally of Warhorse Casino.
Nebraska casino operators say the state has already collected millions of dollars in state taxes and property tax relief from casino gambling, and that online sports betting would add to that total.
A majority of Nebraskans voted for casino gambling to enter the state in 2020, and casino operators expect similar support if the online betting petition makes the November ballot.
“As you know, we got 65% on the constitutional amendment and actually got nearly 70% on the tax portion of the statute when the casinos were legalized in 2020. I think that we’ll be in that area, if not maybe a little higher than that,” McNally said.
“There’s always going to be a sector of the public that doesn’t want to gamble. They don’t want to go to our facilities and that’s just fine. I guess I have an objection with trying to tell other people what to do,” McNally said.
The opposition
The Nebraska Family Alliance stands against online gambling and plans to campaign against the initiative across the state. The nonprofit group issued a statement that reads in part: “Online sports betting has been a massive public policy failure that benefits national sportsbooks at the expense of kids, student-athletes, families and businesses. While they have more money, they don’t have the truth.”
Pat Loontjer, director of Gambling with the Good Life, has opposed expanded gambling in Nebraska for 30 years.
“They’re telling the same lie — property tax relief. Well in Nebraska you say property tax relief and everybody says where do I sign,” Loontjer said.
Loontjer also raised concerns about the impact on young people.
“Sports betting on the phone is the most addictive thing for young people, young men especially. You’ve got kids that are going to lose their scholarships, lose their future,” Loontjer said.
What comes next
If enough signatures are verified and the issue is placed on the November ballot, Warhorse Casino officials say Nebraskans could be able to make sports bets on their phones by spring of next year.
Copyright 2026 WOWT. All rights reserved.
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Along with marching in the parade, the high schools will tour the U.S. Capitol, visit Mount Vernon and other monuments and museums.
Around 80 Grand Island students are making the trip. Lee said the students cover their own costs, with fundraising largely run though the school’s booster program helping offset the expense.
Bishop Neumann’s 53 students benefited from community donations, along with a holiday greenery sale and fundraisers, which Kellett said helped cover airfare and other costs.
For both directors, the trip carries extra weight tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“That’s a pretty big milestone,” Lee said. “And to be able to be a part of that is pretty neat.”
Kellett said the moment will stay with students long after the parade ends.
“These kids, they’ll be around for the 300th anniversary of the country, and they’ll be able to look back and tell their grandkids, ‘you know, I was there at 250 and was able to march in the National Independence Day Parade,’” Kellett said.
Both bands have spent the summer preparing. Grand Island started working on its music after its final spring concert in May, rehearsing its marching and music together on Tuesday evenings.
Bishop Neumann has rehearsed continuously over the summer and marched in two parades to prepare, a 150th anniversary celebration in Weston and the Papillion Days parade.
Kellett said the band’s last rehearsal in Wahoo drew residents who lined the streets holding signs and cheering the students on.
“The students have come in, and they’ve worked really hard,” Kellett said. “They have their music memorized and they’ve worked on their marching skills, and so all that effort into this they’re ready to go for the parade.”
The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. CT Saturday at Third Street and Constitution Avenue.
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – Like his father, Zack Erstad is a Husker. Erstad, the son of Hall of Fame baseball player Darin Erstad, joined the Nebraska men’s golf program on Tuesday.
Zack signed with the Huskers one month after winning a state championship at Lincoln East. With the Spartans, Erstad was a two-time NSAA champion. He was Class A’s individual runner-up in 2026. The previous year, Erstad claimed the Nebraska Junior PGA Championship title.
Erstad said joining the Huskers is a dream come true. The Nebraska newcomer grew up playing baseball and hockey. However, he focused solely on golf while in high school.
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Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.
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