Last weeks’ rain a welcomed sign for central Kentucky farmers as high heat returns
Originally published by WEKU.
A gloomy, and somewhat rainy week last week actually signaled good news to many central Kentucky farmers. The positive results may be seen in the fields.
A good portion of central Kentucky had been battling moderate drought conditions. And then the rains came. In Madison County, Ag Extension Agent Brandon Sears said the rainfall total was about half a foot in some areas. But the landscape still presents challenges.
“You know a lot of our soils across certain parts of this area of the state are thin…meaning we don’t have a lot of overall soil depth and until we get to rock,” said Sears.
Still, the shower activity on different days last week was welcomed by many in the farming community. That’s good news for soybeans, but it could be a little late for some corn growers. And Sears admits a return to high heat can bring with it challenges.
“Could still see some impacts from hot weather. We’re certainly not out of the woods…certainly could turn dry. Hopefully not the case, but soybeans seem to be more resilient in that regard, but not exempt, of course, from dry weather,” said Sears.
Sears noted farmers rely on steady rainfall about every four to five days to keep the soil re-charged. And the county agent added a turn to high heat for an extended time can affect growth of corn and soybeans and stress livestock. Madison County ranks third in beef cattle production in the state.
The weather forecast this week calls for temperatures reaching into the middle 90s Tuesday and then cooling down a bit. Too much water at one time can cause issues as well. Sears said the heavy rains in some locations last week may have caused root rot in those in-the-ground vegetables like carrots.
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Originally published by WEKU.
Republished with permission.
