What to make of all this?

Nebraska farmers will typically have the corn crop planted by Memorial Day with the bulk of it planted prior to May 21. Soybean planting will usually be completed by late June with most of it planted prior to June 15. On average, farmers have 49.5 days suitable for fieldwork during a planting window of April 1 to June 15. So, while this week’s rains may slow progress, it’s still relatively early in the planting season.

There is some evidence the days available for planting between April 1 and June 15 may be slightly increasing over time. If so, it would give Nebraska farmers more time to get crops in the ground but could also be reflective of less precipitation in the spring, meaning farmers will need to rely more heavily on rainfall events or irrigation during the growing season to raise the crop. Finally, a wider planting window could mean less pressure to invest in larger machinery.