Kentucky Soybean Harvest Underway

Kentucky experienced below normal temperatures and much below normal rainfall over the past week.

Precipitation for the week totaled 0.06 inches, 0.78 inches below normal. Temperatures averaged 68 degrees for the week, 2 degrees below normal. Topsoil moisture was rated 5 percent very short, 23 percent short, 68 percent adequate, and 4 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 4 percent very short, 19 percent short, 73 percent adequate, and 4 percent surplus. Days suitable for fieldwork averaged 6.4 out of a possible seven.

Primary activities for this week included cutting tobacco along with harvesting corn and soybeans. With dry weather across the state, farmers forged ahead with the fall harvest. Ninety percent of the corn crop is in the dent stage. With 71 percent of the crop mature, corn is 26 percent harvested. Yield reports vary significantly, often within the same county. Corn condition declined slightly, but remains mostly good. Ninety-eight percent of the beans in the state are setting pods with 58 percent of the crop coloring. Thirty-two percent of beans are now dropping leaves. The soybean harvest is underway with 5 percent of the crop out of the field. There were reports of pod filling impacted by lack of rain. Like corn, soybean condition is showing subtle decline. Seventy-five percent of tobacco has been cut at this juncture. The condition of housed tobacco is 2 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 22 percent fair, 67 percent good, and 5 percent excellent.

Pasture condition has deteriorated slightly as the weather has been dry for an extended period. With temperatures remaining warm, regrowth will resume with the next bit of rain. With that said, some farmers have supplemented with hay during the recent dry spell. The dry weather has aided hay cutting as producers plan for the winter months. Rain would not only aid pasture, but also promote late hay growth. Fall calving for cattle producers is well underway.