The report from the Kentucky office of NASS Sept. 11-17 said weather conditions were mostly rain-free and beautiful across the state for that week. This came after the preceding week’s statistics showed an average of 2.12 inches of rain fell across the state, providing significant moisture favorable for agriculture.

The average temperature in the state for the first week’s report was 74 degrees. The newer report documented an average temperature of 68 degrees.

As of Sept. 16, the condition of Kentucky’s corn was rated 47 percent very poor, 33 percent poor and 14 percent fair. Only 6 percent of this year’s crop was rated as good or better. Corn was reported nearly finished, with 99 percent of the crop having reached the dent stage of growth. Sixty percent had been harvested.

The overall condition of the state’s soybean crop was reported as 32 percent good to excellent. Thirty-three percent was rated poor to very poor and 35 percent was rated fair. Soybean maturity and the progressing of plants shedding leaves was reported at more than 10 percent ahead of last year and the five-year average.

For burley and dark tobacco collected data showed the condition of crop in the barn rated at 3 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 50 percent good and 11 percent excellent. Sixty percent of the burley tobacco crop has already been cut and 70 percent of the dark variety has been cut. Fifteen percent of housed tobacco showed signs of houseburn.

On the whole, Kentucky pastureland is improving.

Dale Dobson, safety administrator for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, said drivers need to be aware of machinery traveling during harvest. “Over time we have seen Kentucky’s farming operations grow larger, and some farmers may need to move equipment 50 to 60 miles down the road,” he explained.

Kentucky Farm Bureau suggests, “While each roadway encounter is unique, a general sense of awareness and caution will go a long way in keeping everyone safe and preventing tragedy.”

It is harvest time for most crops as weather conditions have been good, for the most part. Hay and corn harvests are in full swing while cotton and soybean harvests were beginning in mid-September. Dark tobacco was behind schedule, with a lack of ample labor contributing to the problem.

According to the latest report from the NASS Tennessee Field Office, pastures were in good shape for this time of year. “Topsoil moisture levels were rated 3 percent very short, 24 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated 12 percent very short, 28 percent short, 59 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Temperatures and precipitation averaged below normal across the state,” the report noted.

What crops are still in the field are in good shape, for the most part. Cotton was rated as 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 27 percent fair, 58 percent good and 10 percent excellent.

Soybeans were rated 2 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 27 percent fair, 50 percent good and 12 percent excellent.

As of the Sept. 17 NASS report, the corn for grain harvest stood at 79 percent while corn for silage was all but completed.

Sixty-six percent of the burley tobacco crop had been harvested, while the dark air-cure harvest was 69 percent complete and dark-fired cured was 58 percent complete.

Only 3 percent of the cotton crop had been harvested, while 4 percent of the soybean crop had been harvested.