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Fields Need a Soaker
By
Laura Skillman
PRINCETON, Ky., (June 6, 2007) – Some Kentucky fields have
enjoyed a shower or two in recent days but many are in need of
substantial precipitation to alleviate three weeks of no
rainfall and to help crops bounce back.
Because of the warm, dry conditions of late May, hay fields and
pastures aren’t growing and that’s especially troubling in areas
where first hay cuttings were already short because of this
spring’s freeze.
“The hay crop is precarious at best,” said Tom Keene, hay
marketing specialist with the University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture. “We’ve had good weather to bale hay, but yields are
down substantially – from one third to two thirds less than
normal. I’m guessing we are down 50 percent on our first
cutting.”
And the dry conditions don’t bode well for regrowth, especially
when coupled with high temperatures that further slow growth of
cool season grasses such as fescue. Pastures, too, are
suffering. Keene said he was in some horse pastures on a recent
afternoon and they looked more like it was the middle of August
instead of June.
“They were crispy under your feet, which is not good,” he said.
But Keene said it’s not yet time to push the panic button. A
good soaking rain and cooler temperatures in the next couple of
weeks could go a long way toward improving the prognosis. Rains
in July would also help build up pastures for stockpiling
forages for fall, he said.
Keene said because of the good hay-making weather, the quality
that has been baled is good, therefore producers need to work to
get them properly stored to reduce any storage losses.
Tom Priddy, agricultural meteorologist with the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture said May was a very warm month
with a significant drying trend for the state and despite a few
showers over the past weekend, the state has continued to slip
into hydrologic
drought. On Monday, west and central Kentucky were listed in
moderate hydrologic drought while eastern Kentucky slipped into
the severe category.
Areas that received recent showers still need more help to keep
crops growing and pastures abundant. High temperatures are also
expected to creep into the state causing heat stress to crops
and livestock.
“It will be hot enough to suck anything up out of the ground
that has fallen in the past few days,” Priddy said.
Corn and soybean growers across the state are hoping timely
rains will come into the state. Some of the crops already are
experiencing stress from the lack of moisture and heat which
could reduce yields.
In its weekly crop and weather report, the Kentucky field office
of the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported some
soybean producers are waiting for rainfall to complete planting.
In addition, corn and soybean plants have slowed in growth, said
Jim Herbek, UK grains crop specialist. Leaves on plants are
rolling up and showing other signs of moisture related stress.
Some earlier-planted soybeans are starting to abort flowers.
“There’s a lot of rain needed, not only to come back to normal
in the soil itself but just to keep the plants going later in
the season,” he said. “If this continues another two to three
weeks, it’s going to become severe and it will definitely have
an effect on yield potential.”
The 30-day forecast calls for near normal temperatures and
precipitation, Priddy said. But that could change if a
developing La Niņa in the equatorial Pacific takes hold. In La
Niņa conditions, Kentucky sometimes experiences drier periods
during the growing season. However, even in a dry season if
rains fall in a timely fashion, producers can still have a good
crop, he noted.
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Contact: Tom Keene, 859-257-3144
Tom Priddy, 859-257-3000 ext. 245
Jim Herbek, 270-365-7541, ext. 205
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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