Area residents were happy to see rains return in 2013

Jan. 8, 2014

HARTINGTON — Starting your first full-time job after college can be both exciting and nerve racking. For Stephanie Smolek, it is proving to be both.

Smolek is a recent graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with bachelors’ degrees in agricultural journalism and animal science. She is joining the Northeast Nebraska News Company as an agricultural reporter and editor for the Randolph Times.

“I am excited to apply the skills I have learned in the last four-and-a-half years,” Smolek said. “Interacting and communicating with others has always been a passion of mine.”

Upon starting this new job, Smolek said she expected to be nervous. However, already knowing the area and many people in Northeast Nebraska have helped calm her nerves, she added.

Last summer Smolek worked in Hartington as an intern for the University of Nebraska-Extension service. This position introduced her to area 4-H members, their families and the community.

Smolek grew up and attended high school in Battle Creek. She also has family in the area.

Prior to that, Smolek was a summer reporting intern for the Norfolk Daily News in 2012 and a summer communications intern for the Pinto Horse Association of America in Oklahoma in 2011.

Horses are what led her to pursue a career in journalism.

She grew up on an acreage, riding and raising horses. Her passion for the animals sparked an interest in agriculture, she said.

Jan. 8, 2014

HARTINGTON —As 2013 began, the general consensus was that Northeast Nebraska was destined for another dry year.

“It didn’t look good,” said Pat Steffen, Fordyce, who farms and raises grass-fed Scottish Highland cattle. “I was concerned ... you don’t like to see it dry.”

In 2012, only 13.35 inches of precipitation fell in the Hartington area. The lack of autumn and early winter precipitation painted a bleak picture for 2013.

According to state climatologist Al Dutcher, the precipitation received during the fall, winter and spring seasons is a leading indicator for what the upcoming growing season will be like.

The eastern third of the state requires about 12 inches of moisture from October through April to recharge the soil, and normal precipitation from May through August in order for producers to hit base-line corn yields in their area, he said.

Three-quarters of an inch of precipitation fell here in January to get a decent start on the new year. But, according to Dutcher, February was when the major shift occurred. In February, 1.2 inches of precipitation fell here. There was a significant uptake in precipitation and these conditions continued through May.

Another 1.15 inches of precip hit the ground in March, and things really started to look bright in April when 4.88 inches of precipitation saturated the area.

The rainfall during these months made up for the deficits from the previous fall.

“They set the stage for above normal crop yields,” Dutcher said.

One of the wettest days of the year was recorded in April when 1.85 inches of rain fell here April 9.

Temperatures also had a large effect on the ground moisture in 2013.

According to Dutcher, having a couple cold months for each warm month can be a “saving grace” when it comes to water levels. This pattern was followed in 2013.