Through Dust, Hail, and Hope: Cheyenne County's Corn Farmers Navigate a Season of Extremes

You know, there's just something about a farmer—a quiet, enduring optimism that no amount of fickle weather or market volatility seems to quite extinguish. And frankly, this year in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, that spirit has been put to the absolute test. As the combines gear up, ready to chew through endless rows, the air is thick with a different kind of anticipation than usual. It's a blend of cautious hope, a little bit of anxiety, and a whole lot of sheer grit, all thanks to a growing season that's been, well, let's just say 'unforgettable.'

Think about it: the year kicked off bone-dry. Farmers watched the skies, hoping for even a whisper of rain, but the early season offered precious little. Then, just as the crops found their footing, mid-summer decided to unleash its fury. Hailstorms, violent winds—the kind that leave a field looking like a war zone—swept through, leaving pockets of devastating damage. And then, as if to cap it all off, the late season swung back to dry, hot conditions, making every drop of water count, or frankly, wish it had counted more.

Take Jeff Luhrs, for instance, a man deeply rooted in these fields. He’s seen his share of ups and downs, but this year's particular cocktail of challenges has been noteworthy. He’s looking at his irrigated fields and thinking, ‘Alright, those have held up pretty well,’ but then there’s the dryland corn—the kind that relies solely on Mother Nature’s benevolence—and he admits, the yields there are a real question mark. It’s a stark reminder, isn’t it, of how much is truly out of human hands?

And he’s not alone in this assessment. Down the road, Jerry Kresl, alongside his son Justin, echoes a similar sentiment. They've been meticulously tending their land, pushing through the vagaries of the weather. Justin, specifically, has been keeping a watchful eye on fields hit by hail, hoping for the best, but realistic about the outcome. You see, even with the best technology—variable rate irrigation, for example, which allows for precise water application—you can't fully counteract a season that throws everything it has at you.

Their cousin, Joe Kresl, has also been navigating the choppy waters of this year’s climate. He’s seen how widely yields can vary, even within a relatively small area. One field might have been spared the worst of a hailstorm, while another, just a mile away, got absolutely pummeled. It’s this kind of unpredictable, almost capricious nature of the weather that truly defines farming, isn't it? It keeps you humble, that’s for sure.

But here’s the thing about farmers, and perhaps it’s why they endure: they are, in truth, perpetual optimists. Yes, the conversations this year might be a little more tempered, a little more laced with 'we'll see' than usual. But underneath it all, there's that enduring hope, that belief in the land, and in their own hard work. The local co-ops—CHS and Ag Valley Coop among them—are also holding their breath a bit, looking at projections that range from 'not terrible' to 'definitely below average' for some areas.

So, as the harvest unfolds, row by painstaking row, it won't just be corn being brought in. It’ll be a testament to resilience, a quiet acknowledgment of a season that pushed boundaries, and an enduring faith in the fertile plains of Nebraska. And you know, there’s something truly beautiful in that.