Drought

Despite increased rainfall in recent weeks, the Bluegrass region remains in a moderate drought that continues to threaten crops and hay supply for many Clark County farms. According to the University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Center, the region is more than 7 inches below normal precipitation for the year. Short-term crop moisture status has improved, but more rainfall is needed soon, according to the center. Clark County Extension Agent Frank Hicks estimates that local farmers will need a weekly average of an inch to inch and a half of rainfall to make 2007 a "reasonable" year.

The tobacco leaf in Carl Waits’ hand was brittle, and the grim look on his face told the story of the Level-1 drought Jessamine County is currently in. “It’s worse than anything I’ve ever seen,” Waits said. Like many other forms of farming, Waits is dependent on rain, and after a rain-soaked spring and early summer season, mud puddles have been replaced by dust, and the grass once green is withered and brown. And that’s not good when your crop requires moisture.

As heat and dry conditions bake the Bluegrass, Lincoln County, along with nearly the entire state of Kentucky, has been classified by weather officials as being in drought. The cities of Stanford and Hustonville have issued burn and fireworks bans that are in effect until further notice. Temperatures reached triple digits Thursday and were expected to make it there again today and Saturday. After an expected high of around 98 on Monday, weather forecasts predict a relative cooldown, as highs dip into the lower 90s. Lincoln County Health Department Director Diane Miller said everyone needs to stay well-hydrated.

As heat and dry conditions bake the Bluegrass, Lincoln County, along with nearly the entire state of Kentucky, has been classified by weather officials as being in drought. The cities of Stanford and Hustonville have issued burn and fireworks bans that are in effect until further notice. Temperatures reached triple digits Thursday and were expected to make it there again today and Saturday. After an expected high of around 98 on Monday, weather forecasts predict a relative cooldown, as highs dip into the lower 90s. Lincoln County Judge-Executive Jim Adams said when he talked to the state Forestry Department on Tuesday they did not think a burn ban was necessary for Lincoln County yet. He plans to talk with them again today, but said he's hopeful he can hold off on a county-wide burn ban until after the Independence Day holiday.

Gov. Steve Beshear and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer announced an $8.15 million program to help Kentucky farmers affected by last year's drought. The Kentucky Agricultural Relief Effort (K.A.R.E.) will be funded with master tobacco settlement money and administered by the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy (GOAP). "Farming is a challenging way to make a living, and some years it's more stressful than others, but because of the $8.15 million investment in the K.A.R.

This summer's weather extremes have dealt tobacco farmers a double whammy. "We had enough moisture so blue mold caused producers a problem; we've had enough dry weather so black shank is causing a problem," said Mike Carter, Garrard County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. There was plenty of rain in June, and last month it became hot and dry. There has been no appreciable rain for several weeks. Some people have had rain in spots; nevertheless, we are not in a drought, both Carter and Tony Shirley, Mercer County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources, said.

Drought-stricken, non-irrigated lawns are either dormant, dead or seriously thinned. Lawns or portions of lawns growing on good soils and showing some green at the base of the leaves are likely to recover quickly following a soaking rain event. Lawns showing no green, growing on south or west slopes, growing on clay or sandy soil and mowed short during the drought may be more than 50 percent killed. September and October are normally the two driest months of the year and most Kentucky soils are very, very dry throughout the root zone.

The Lincoln County FSA Office was authorized in October 2007 to accept requests for cost share from producers who suffered significant financial hardship as a result of taking emergency action because of the drought. Because no funding is currently available, producers have been notified that action taken to relieve drought conditions, before an actual approval is issued by the FSA office, is at the producer's own risk. The Kentucky State FSA Committee determined at their December 2007 meeting that conditions in Kentucky counties have significantly improved.

FRANKFORT - Gov. Steve Beshear and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer have announced an $8.15 million program to help Kentucky farmers affected by last year's drought. The Kentucky Agricultural Relief Effort will be funded with master tobacco settlement money and administered by the Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy. KARE is designed to help producers pay for on-farm improvements and investments that will help reduce the impact of the drought. Farmers may seek funding for water projects, such as drilling, piping or hook-up to municipal water systems; forage projects; and other projects such as fencing, feeding equipment, animal waste handling equipment and crop insurance.

Normally, a hot dry year would favor vegetable production as long as growers have adequate irrigation. However, when daytime temperatures inch up over 100 degrees Fahrenheit as we've seen several days this year, we begin to see problems with many vegetable crops. Pollen begins to die and that affects fruit set and several disorders become apparent. One thing growers might see is blossom end rot, which simply is a rot at the blossom end of a fruit. Tomatoes usually suffer most, but eggplant, cucurbits and peppers all can succumb to the problem.

In 30 years of farming, David LeMaster said he has seen few corn crops as bad as this year's. Despite recent rains and slightly cooler temperatures, for most local corn growers, it's too little, too late. “It's kind of bleak right now,”¿LeMaster said. A tenant farmer, LeMaster has crops scattered across Clark and Bourbon counties. Most of his corn is located on Prewitt Pike, near the Clark-Montgomery county line. In a best case scenario, he expects to yield about 30 bushels from his 100 acres of corn this year.

The corn stalk crackled as Jessamine County farmer Tim White bent it back while looking over 6.5 acres of corn he planted in late April. The crackling sounds, along with the crunch of the yellow dead grass under his work boots, were telltale signs of the extreme drought conditions many farmers throughout the region are combating this year. Presently, Jessamine County is in an extreme drought condition, according to the Palmer Drought Severity Index. “This is bad,” White said, surveying the land.

With much of the state in a drought, the Kentucky Division of Water is encouraging citizens to learn how they can conserve water during drought and year-round with some simple changes in their water-use habits. “Some customers of public drinking water utilities may have already been notified about a call for voluntary conservation measures while others may be willing to reduce water use as a general principle,” Bill Caldwell, drought coordinator at the Kentucky Division of Water, said in a news release.

Donna Amaral-Phillips, Jeff Lehmkuhler, and Chad Lee with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Department of Animal & Food Sciences would like farmers to consider the following seven tips when dealing with drought-stressed corn: - If corn is going to be fed as green chop, grazed, or as hay, test for nitrates before harvest to be sure the crop will be safe to feed. For corn harvested properly as silage or baleage and which goes...

STANFORD - After a week of heat, including four straight days of triple-digit highs, at least three fires and essentially no rainfall, Lincoln County remained under burn and fireworks bans Monday night. Lincoln County Fire Chief Danny Glass said unless rain shows up in enough force to quench the county's parched earth, the bans will remain in place and the Lincoln County Fair will not feature its traditional July 4 fireworks display. "We've been holding off as long as we could," Glass said Monday.

Much of the state has been behind on rainfall since spring began, but the drought has been exceptional in western Kentucky with some cities 8 and 9 inches below normal rainfall totals. With some of the state's historically driest months ahead, good pasture management is critical for livestock producers, said forage extension specialists from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. One of the easiest things producers can do to ensure their animals get the most use of their forages is to practice rotational grazing.

As heat and dry conditions bake the Bluegrass, Lincoln County, along with nearly the entire state of Kentucky, has been classified by weather officials as being in drought. The cities of Stanford and Hustonville have issued burn and fireworks bans that are in effect until further notice. Temperatures reached triple digits Thursday and were expected to make it there again today and Saturday. After an expected high of around 98 on Monday, weather forecasts predict a relative cooldown, as highs dip into the lower 90s. Lincoln County Health Department Director Diane Miller said everyone needs to stay well-hydrated.

For only the second this season, Kentucky freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has gone three straight games without scoring in double figures. Yet Kentucky coach John Calipari insisted after Saturday night's win over Iowa State that Kidd-Gilchrist was “fine” and doing plenty of things to help the Wildcats going into Friday's game against Indiana. Kidd-Gilchrist had just two points and was 1-for-4 from the field against Iowa State. He had nine points on 4-for-8 shooting against Western Kentucky Thursday and tallied five points on 2-for-4 shooting in the Southeastern Conference Tournament loss to Vanderbilt.