FRANKFORT, Ky. — Most regions of Kentucky have seen excessive amounts of rain this spring, with some areas experiencing flash flooding. In fact, the Bluegrass State is seeing one of the wettest Aprils on record.

This has many farmers nervous for planting season. And, with more than a week left in April, those numbers could increase. Corn growers in particular are edgy as the planting window shrinks.

Chad Lee, a grain crop specialist with the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, said while there is still plenty of time before any fear of yield loss should set in, under normal circumstances planting would be a little further along at this point in the season.

"People are getting anxious about planting corn, especially in the far western part of the state where the calendars says they should have been planting two weeks ago," he pointed out.

On the flip side, Lee said whether the weather situation will hurt producers depends on what happens in July and August. "Over the last few years, we’ve had a couple of other springs where we were forced into some later planting dates, and we saw some pretty good yields in those years. So, we can’t say with certainty that the late dates will hurt our yields."

The thing for producers now to watch is trying to get into the fields before adequate drying has taken place.

"In terms of what the greatest risk is at the moment, that’s the greatest risk because everybody is anxious to get things planted and there is a big temptation to think, ‘If I can get on the field, then I can plant the field,’" he said.

Lee pointed out getting on the field a day or two too early leaves producers at risk with problems from sidewall compaction.

Warm, dry weather has been a rarity through much of the region so far this spring. According to information from the Kentucky Mesonet weather data system, the amount of rain in April varies across the state but all areas have experienced above-normal precipitation.

Some counties in western Kentucky, where most of the corn in the state grows, have received more than 7 inches of rain while in central Kentucky some counties have recorded nearly 10. Rain once again set in Sunday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to much of the state to raise those moisture levels and keep flooding a concern.

Coupled with the rain forecast for earlier this week was a return to cooler temperatures, something that could delay planting even further. Lee said if the temperatures stay low and conditions remain cloudy, it will take longer for wet fields to dry enough to plant.

For those in western Kentucky, the historical dates to plant corn are from April 1-May 1. If the weather dries and planting opportunities arise, once past that May 1 date, technically producers will be late in planting. In the central section of the state, the dates are later, April 15-May 15.

"For folks in that part of the state, from a calendar standpoint, they’re still on time," explained Lee. He added those dates represent information collected over a long period – but this year farmers should pay more attention to field conditions as opposed to those calendar dates.

"I’d be much more worried about getting the soil in good shape and planting in good soil than I would be about planting before a certain date on the calendar," said Lee.

He isn’t overly concerned about getting corn planted, knowing how quickly and efficiently state producers will react once their weather conditions improve.