By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

PRINCETON, Ky. — The dry weather in Kentucky is having an effect on most crops, the latest being soybeans and hay. As soybeans are beginning to be harvested, some late-season beans may have a difficult time overcoming drought conditions, according to experts at the University of Kentucky (UK).

“The double-crop beans are being affected quite drastically by our lack of rainfall, particularly during August and September. Most of them will be in the reproductive stages during those two months,” said James Herbek, UK grain crops specialist. “It came at a time when moisture was really needed for our soybean crop.”

He also said conditions vary across the state, with some areas looking “not too bad” and others not good at all. Kentucky is about six inches below normal rainfall, on average. Early maturity groups of soybeans and full season beans look to have the best chance of good yields, said Herbek.

“We double-crop a lot of soybeans in the state of Kentucky and those are particularly in the worst shape,” he said.

The state’s average soybean yields usually range between 40-45 bushels per acre, but the latest estimates predict 36 bushels per acre. That said, there are some positives to consider. Don Hershman, UK extension plant pathologist, said the dry weather has kept the risk of disease at bay.

“Because it has been so dry, there are no diseases out there. I think it is better than I thought it would be,” Hershman said of the harvest so far.

Clint Hardy, the agriculture and natural resources agent in Daviess County, said his area is one of the lucky ones as far as yields go.

“We have had surprising yields up to this point, going beyond our expectations,” he said. “Early maturing beans benefited from the last rain we saw in July and the cooler temperatures in August. Overall we’ve seen yields in the 40s, 50s and even 60s.

“The fear everyone has is for the late double-crop beans. We plant about 50 percent of our beans here in May, so most have been harvested or are waiting to be harvested.”

Hardy added much depends on the type of soil where the beans are planted, but he credits the slightly cooler than normal August with benefiting his growers the most. Statewide however, Herbek said this year’s crop will be below what was expected in a year when expectations were high after the devastating season in 2007.

Overall soybean production will be up over last year, but up from nothing isn’t saying much, said Herbek, adding that the last of the crop is starting to mature and unless things improve weather-wise, the crop probably won’t improve at all.

“If we get some rains in the next week or two, it could help some but not a lot,” he said.

The hay crop

Early hay production benefited from the spring rains only to be slowed by the dry summer, but still the state is in better shape than last year, said Tom Keene, UK hay marketing specialist.

“Overall, we are in decent to fair shape on cattle hay going into the winter,” he said. “Producers who use high quality hay to feed dairy cattle and horses will likely need to import additional quantities this year to have a sufficient supply.

“With hay being so hard to come by last year, most farmers that had any hay went ahead and made it early to get as much quality hay as they could. This benefited cattle farmers.”

Last year’s drought left many livestock producers using up their winter supplies long before winter was over, something they will have to watch again this year.

“With some producers already feeding their cattle, it’s going to be a long feeding period,” Keene said. “Hay should be used judiciously to ensure supplies last through winter. Any hay we buy will be expensive.”

Keene suggests that producers have their hay quality tested and, when the state does get more rain, they take measures to make sure their pastures recover by considering adding nitrogen to their fields.