WESTERN HALL COUNTY, Neb. — After a dry start to the spring, recent rainfall has provided a welcome boost for farmers working to get their 2026 crops planted across central Nebraska.
Michael Dibbern, a farmer in western Hall County, said the stretch of cloudy weather and rain came at an important time for producers who had been planting into limited soil moisture.
“The sun’s shining for the first time today in about three or four days, which is great,” Dibbern said. “But the tradeoff of those cloudy days with some good moisture was something we absolutely needed.”
Before the rain arrived, many farmers in the area were already making significant planting progress. Warm soil temperatures and favorable calendar conditions encouraged producers to move ahead despite dry conditions.
“The calendar said go. The soil temperature said go,” Dibbern said. “There was a little bit of soil moisture to go into, and with pivot irrigation we were able to run those a couple times to help get things started.”
Dibbern said his operation has already finished planting soybeans and has completed roughly half of its corn acres. Other farmers in the region have made similar progress, with some finishing corn planting before the recent rain.
However, moisture conditions have varied widely across the state. While parts of central Nebraska received beneficial precipitation, other areas that have experienced drought and wildfire activity remain in need of rainfall.
Despite the relief from recent storms, farmers are continuing to manage challenges beyond the field. Input costs — particularly fertilizer — remain a major concern as producers look ahead to the next crop year.
Dibbern, who is involved with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association and national advocacy efforts, said fertilizer prices have remained elevated due to complex global market conditions.
“It’s been multiple years now that we’ve been dealing with the high input prices, especially fertilizer,” Dibbern said. “There’s a lot of moving parts in that market, and it’s going to take time to work through.”
For now, the focus remains on finishing planting while taking advantage of the moisture that has finally arrived.
With soybeans planted and corn planting well underway, the recent rain is helping create better conditions for early crop growth as the season continues across central Nebraska.
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