Wheat Crop Hit Hard by Drought - KHGI-TV/KWNB-TV/KHGI-CD-Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings

Nebraska's winter wheat crop is off to a bad start as a result of this year's dry conditions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Nebraska's winter wheat has been slow to emerge and isn't in very good condition because it has been so dry.

For the past two months, less than one inch of precipitation has fallen in the western two-thirds of Nebraska. Most of the state is still considered to be in an extreme drought.

Only around 17 percent of the winter wheat crop rated in good condition last week, while none of it was considered to be in excellent condition. Normally, 65 percent of the wheat crop rates good or excellent at this time of year.

The USDA says about 92 percent of the wheat crop has emerged, but some farmers are reporting thin or spotty stands of the crop.