Planting delays could be a strong possibility as the National Weather Service in Hastings said the 30 and 90 day forecast calls for slightly below normal temperatures and slightly above normal precipitation.

Also, because of the continued cold temperatures and heavy snow this year, NWS Hastings Hydrologic service area outlook for south central Nebraska this outlook, including the Platte, Loup, Little Blue and Republican Rivers and their tributaries, said many rivers in south central Nebraska have been running above normal this winter due to the increased precipitation since last fall with elevated river levels most notable within the Platte and Loup River Basins as water flow from ice free areas to the west converges with the ice covered areas to the east.

NWS said this elevated flow is expected to continue on the Platte River downstream of Grand Island and throughout much of the Loup River Basin.

“While the risk for flooding due to snowmelt is low, flooding concerns due to ice action and ice jamming remains a possibility well into March on the lower Loup and Platte Rivers,” NWS report said. “The Loup River tends to be the most troublesome river for ice jams, especially downstream of St. Paul. Flooding may also result if additional heavy snow or rain were to occur through mid-March. Rocky Mountain snowpack is generally below normal and is not expected to add enough flow to the Platte River to cause flooding.”

The worst ice jam conditions are expected to be in the Lower Loup River Basin from Genoa downstream, and the Lower Platte River Basin from Columbus downstream, the NWS reports.

Nebraska’ 2009 crop was valued by the USDA Friday at $9.37 billion on the strengh of its record corn and soybean harvest.

All other Nebraska crops fell in value from the previous year.

The 2009 crop in Nebraska hit a milestone as corn for grain production in Nebraska based was estimated at 1.58 billion bushels, up 13 percent from last year and a record high, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office. Yield of 178 bushels per acre is 15 bushels above last year and highest of record.

On Friday, the USDA reported that the crop value for last year’s harvest in Nebraska was $9.376 billion. Corn and soybeans lead the way. Nebraska’s corn crop was valued at $5.82 billion and valued at $2.130 billion. Corn values were $184 million higher than the previous year and soybean values were $226 million higher than 2008.

Soybean production for 2009 totaled 259 million bushels, up 15 percent from last year and a record high. Yield, at 54.5 bushels per acre, is up 8 bushels from last year and highest of record.

Nebraska other two big crops, hay and wheat, were down in 2009, according to the USDA. Last year’s wheat crop was valued at $367.3 million, which was down in value by about $115 million compared to last year as fewer acres were harvested and wheat prices were lower. Last years hay crop was valued at $445 million, which was down $92 million from the previous year.

All other Nebraska, sorghum, proso millet, sunflowers, oats, dry edible beans and potatoes were down in value from the previous year.

Nebraska feedlots, with capacities of 1,000 or more head, contained 2.37 million cattle on feed on February 1, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics, Nebraska Field Office. This inventory was down 1 percent from last year.

Placements during January totaled 410,000 head, up 3 percent from 2009.

Fed cattle marketings for the month of January totaled 380,000 head, up 6 percent from last year. Other disappearance during January totaled 20,000 head, compared to 10,000 head last year.

Nationwide, cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.0 million head on February 1, 2010. The inventory was 3 percent below February 1, 2009.

Placements in feedlots during January totaled 1.83 million, 2 percent below 2009.

Marketings of fed cattle during January totaled 1.77 million, 2 percent above 2009. This is the third lowest fed cattle marketings for the month of January since the series began in 1996.

Other disappearance totaled 70,000 during January, 4 percent above 2009.

Nebraska’s number of farms and ranches declined during 2009, according USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.
The number of farms and ranches in the State is 47,200, down 200 or less than 1 percent lower than 2008. Numbers of farms and ranches in Nebraska with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales declined 1,400 farms, while operations with more than $100,000 were up 1,200 farms.
The decline in smaller farms was largely the result of existing farms moving into higher sales categories.
Land in farms and ranches in Nebraska totaled 45.6 million acres, unchanged from last year. The average size of operation increased to 966 acres, up 4 acres from 2008.