June 5 Kentucky Crop Weather Report

Apr 28, 2023

PUBLISHED ON June 5, 2023

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky experienced above normal temperatures and much below normal rainfall over the past week, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Kentucky Field Office. Precipitation for the week totaled 0.07 inches, 1.01 inches below normal. Temperatures averaged 72 degrees for the week, 2 degrees above normal. Topsoil moisture was rated 13 percent very short, 40 percent short, 45 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture was rated 8 percent very short, 36 percent short, 54 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus. Days suitable for fieldwork averaged 6.7 out of a possible seven.

Primary activities for this week included planting corn, soybeans, and tobacco along with cutting hay. Farmers forged ahead in the fields as weather continued to be dry for most of the state. There were a few pop up storms, but coverage was minimal. Corn planting is nearing completion while soybeans continue to run ahead when compared historically The average height of corn is 12 inches at this juncture and the condition of the crop is mostly good. There are reports of corn twisting and signs of stress on the crop. Like corn, soybean condition is mostly good at this time, but there has been some replanting due to the presence of slugs. Tobacco setting is progressing quickly with conducive weather. The condition of tobacco set is mostly good. Winter wheat condition remains mostly good with 60 percent of the crop coloring. Wheat harvest will begin soon with rapid dry down conditions.

Pasture condition is mostly good, however heat and dry weather are taking a toll with regrowth stunted. Although weather has allowed hay cutting, regrowth is very slow. Hay yields are widely varied with dry weather cited for low production in some areas. Unfertilized grass fields are bearing the brunt as some legumes are faring more favorably. Hay inventories are low for some as a result of early feeding last fall and winter.

Rainfall has started running scarce across the Bluegrass State. Outside of some isolated showers and storms, most of Kentucky just saw a second straight week of dry conditions. If one was lucky enough, these storms showed capable of producing a half inch or so of rainfall, but again, coverage was low. Over the past 14 days, data from the Ag Weather Center shows the state has only averaged 0.28 inches, which is close to 2 inches below normal for this time of year. That average drops to 0.06 for Western KY, alone. 45% of the state is now considered ‘abnormally dry’ in the latest update of the U.S. Drought Monitor on June 1. In addition to the lack of rainfall, summer-like temperatures returned to Kentucky this past week with high temperatures jumping into the upper 80s to low 90s over the weekend.

Temperatures for the period averaged 72 degrees across the state which was 2 degrees warmer than normal and 8 degrees warmer than the previous period. High temperatures averaged from 88 in the West to 83 in the East. Departure from normal high temperatures ranged from 6 degrees warmer than normal in the West to 3 degrees warmer than normal in the East. Low temperatures averaged from 61 degrees in the West to 57 degrees in the East. Departure from normal low temperatures were near normal across the state. The extreme high temperature for the period was 95 degrees at PADUCAH ASOS and the extreme low was 49 degrees at PIKEVILLE 13S.

Precipitation (liq. equ.) for the period totaled 0.07 inches statewide which was 1.01 inches below normal and 6% of normal. Precipitation totals by climate division, West 0.06 inches, Central 0.13 inches, Bluegrass 0.03 inches and East 0.08 inches, which was 0.99, 0.99, 1.05 and 0.99 inches below normal. By station, precipitation totals ranged from a low of 0.00 inches at ALEXANDRIA 5NW to a high of 0.76 inches at HARDINSBURG 5SW.

— USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

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