Drought

I've never appreciated a corn field so much. Last year, in the midst of quite a depressing drought, I watched with interest the growth of a Jessamine County corn field. When in Ohio, I've heard the expression that the corn should be "knee high by the fourth of July. " The drought made that impossible. But I admired the way nature seemed prone to nurture the life of the corn anyway. When in North Carolina where I lived for 23 years, a part of me ached to see rich brown soil instead of the red clay which was the bane of my existence.

Editorial cartoonists all over the free world have been thrown into a quandary; do we draw as we always have, or do we give in to pressures and fears? Our securities in the freedoms of expression and speech have been set on their heels by Muslim extremists, and the truth is, it scares the ink out of us. We don't like to admit it, and some won't, but there's a concern in the world media the likes of which, I don't believe, we've ever seen. Here in the U.S. it worries us enough that some cartoonist, publishers, and editors are urging caution and constraint in our editorializing.

Lincoln's shooting percentage ranged from the high 40's to the 50's prior to the Lexington Catholic Holiday Classic, but the Lady Patriots saw their average drop dramatically Saturday in a not-so-hot hardwood effort. Lincoln shot a chilly 27 percent in quarterfinal action against No. 25 Mason County and it cost the Lady Patriots as the Lady Royals won 63-50 at Lexington Catholic High School. "Everything was pretty good but our shooting percentage tonight," said Lady Pat coach Don Story.

A lack of moisture over an extended period of time has caused producers in Clark County to suffer from severe drought conditions. But, farms experiencing severe drought conditions may be eligible for cost-share assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program. This disaster program is administered by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, which provides cost-share assistance if the damage is so severe that water available for livestock or orchards and vineyards has been reduced below normal to the extent that neither can survive without additional water.

The continuous dry weather in Kentucky is threatening to move much of the state, including Jessamine County, into a severe drought, according to University of Kentucky Agricultural Meteorologist Tom Priddy. "Right now, according to the Palmer Drought Index, we are in a moderate drought, moving very close to being in a severe hydrological drought," he said. Sixty-one counties are on a water shortage watch, meaning a water shortage is imminent. "This is a heads-up situation," he said.

The drought is over. Barely. The George Rogers Clark High School football team advanced to the second round of the playoffs on Friday night with a 28-24 victory over neighboring Montgomery County at Cardinal Stadium. The Cardinals (7-4), who had lost their previous eight playoff games, moved into the second round of the postseason for the first time since 1995 and will take on Lincoln County, which came away with a 21-7 win over Madison Central in Stanford. "It feels good to get the win," Clark coach Paul Columbia said afterward.

Despite the recent rainfall, Stanford's water situation remains stable, said Stanford Water and Sewer Department Manager Alan Deshon. While it's not great news, "anytime you don't go down is good news" he said. The current National Weather Service (NWS) Drought Statement shows heavy rains that passed through the region did nothing to mitigate the drought but did buy local water providers more time. According to the NWS, in Jackson, Ky., which monitors drought conditions in Kentucky: "Large long-term deficits remain and it will take a several month long period of above normal rainfall to totally end the ongoing drought conditions.

Dear Editor, To rain or not to rain, that's the question? Some parts of Kentucky are in a severe to extreme drought. Appalachia, Va., has a 30-day supply of drinking water. Atlanta, Ga., has a 90-day supply of water for 5 million people. We can go to the grocery store and see the shelves stocked with a bountiful supply of vegetables and food stuff. We are becoming complacent and taking it for granted that this will always be the case. There is a God in the third heaven who put the thousands of stars and planets in a perfect synchronized order.

FARM SERVICE AGENCY A lack of moisture, over an extended period of time, has caused producers in Boyle County to suffer from the effect of severe drought conditions. Farms experiencing severe drought conditions may be eligible for cost-share assistance under Emergency Conservation Program. This disaster program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, which provides cost-share assistance if the damage is so severe that water available for livestock or orchards and vineyards has been reduced below normal to the extent that neither can survive without additional water.

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...