(AP) — Last week’s rain of an inch or more of rain slowed the planting of winter wheat across much of the Panhandle and some central Nebraska counties.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its report for the week ending Sunday that 65 percent of the expected crop had been planted, compared with 72 percent average by the end of September.

The USDA says, however, that the rain improved the overall prospects for the state’s next wheat crop.

The report also says about 9 percent of the state’s corn crop had been harvested, compared with 51 percent last year and 16 percent on average by this time of the year.

The soybean harvest was 13 percent complete, compared with 44 percent last year and 19 percent on average.