FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky tobacco growers have been harassed by the wet weather, and so have their neighbors to the south. Tennessee growers have worked to dodge the rain in trying to set out a late burley crop.

Last weekend, within a 24 hour period, some sections of the state received more than 5 inches of rain, according to information from AccuWeather.com

Pre-season planting expectations had projected a smaller 2013 crop, and that a wet spring that has turned into a wet summer did not help matters. Anthony Shelton, a University of Tennessee extension agent in Washington County, in the northeastern part of the state, said there are still local growers trying to finish planting.

“We’ve got a lot of tobacco that has been set out late with the numerous amount of rain. As a matter of fact, we’ve got two or three producers still trying to plant a little bit,” he said. “So most of the crop will be later this year, which I worry about curing conditions this fall, and as you get later in the year you worry about frost.”

Frost seems like an unusual thing to worry about in July but this year has been anything but normal. Shelton said for those who did set their tobacco crops early – if their fields weren’t drowned out – the tobacco is looking good.

“We have had enough excess moisture to the point that in some tobacco fields, I have seen nitrogen deficiency. Basically I feel like some of the fertilizer has been washed away,” he said.

Even with the tough weather, Shelton pointed out overall, the crop there is in fair to good condition. Another concern, however, is the possibility of disease setting in especially if the weather gets hot.

Shelton said there is potential for Black Shank when a hot period follows wet conditions. He also said Target Spot is something seen there for the last 2-3 years. Despite getting a late start, production in Washington County likely stayed steady or increased due to good prices and a crop that turned out better than expected last year, noted Shelton.

Grainger County extension agent Anthony Carver said this was third wettest June on record in his area, causing the tobacco crop to be at least three weeks late getting in the ground.

“There are still people planting,” he said. “Part of that may have to do with such a late frost. We had a very late frost in May and that really threw us tremendously off. People who saw what was going to happen put off planting even later.”

Carver said factors like weed control and insects don’t seem to be causing a problem for tobacco. “The plants are literally not where they should be at this stage of growth, but if we could get it in the ground, it seems like it would be okay – but it is taking us forever,” he said.

He also said because of the amount of moisture in the ground, fertility may be an issue later in the season, with probable nitrogen losses.

Grainer County producers, like their Washington County counterparts, saw slight increases in tobacco planting this year. Most producers there have small acreages, but Carver said some are doubling their production this year.

“We’re gaining in new people that are growing it; and I say new, but they may have been out of it so long but they are coming back, so as far as Grainger County goes, we’re growing,” he said.

Carver thinks much of the growth can be attributed to prices tobacco brought last year and he is hearing they could reach record levels this year, with low supplies of tobacco.

Jason Evitts, the extension agent in Trousdale County, in north-central Tennessee, said production has been on the upswing there mostly owing to producers in neighboring counties using land for their tobacco production. “A lot of our growers were older and with the buyout, got smaller or phased out,” he said.

Another factor in the growth had to do with new crop insurance rules disallowing insurance coverage on land used for tobacco production in two consecutive growing seasons. That sent producers in neighboring counties looking for land in Trousdale, according to Evitts.

He said before the extensive rainfall last week, some areas were beginning to get dry. That all changed in a short period of time, but Evitts said the tobacco in his county looks good with few concerns at this point.

For growers in Macon County, which borders Kentucky, actual production fell off by as much as 20 percent. Much of that was likely because of those new crop insurance regulations forcing many farmers to take ground normally planted in burley out of production for a year, or at least out of tobacco production.

Steve Walker, the ag agent there, said Macon County is usually recognized as the largest burley tobacco-producing county in the country and even with lower numbers, an estimated 5,000 acres will be planted in tobacco. He also thinks the amount of corn acres planted in the county this year could be the most ever mainly owing to the new crop insurance regulation.

Last year corn prices hit the $8 per-bushel mark, prompting many farmers across the region to plant it based on price alone. Now the price is hovering around the $5 mark, which may be close to a breakeven situation.

Walker said the corn in Macon County looks good so far, but those added corn and soybean acres will likely go back to tobacco in 2014. Like his fellow ag agents, he said the tobacco was late this year but so far the crop looks good.