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Hurricane winds cap off summer for Kentucky ag

By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky farmers have endured weather conditions over the last two years that have ranged from aggravating to devastating, and the end may not be in sight.

Last year seemed to be the one to end all years where weather was concerned – an abnormally warm early spring set the scene for a devastating Easter freeze that destroyed much of the fruit crops around the region. That was followed by an extreme drought that hurt nearly everything else.

Tobacco farmers seemed to be in the best shape in 2007 until dry conditions continued into the fall, and the harvested crop suffered some deterioration in the barn.

Last year’s smaller hay crop left many livestock producers using up their winter supply so early that some had to cull their herds or sell out altogether.

By March of this year horror stories were popping up all over the state about animals starving to death for lack of hay. Some animal relief organizations were overrun with animals. This year showed signs of hope, even with early spring floods that kept many grain producers out of the field later than they wanted.

Still, with high grain prices and expected high yields, all was well – until the rain stopped, again. Much of the state is listed as abnormally dry or in a moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The dry conditions have been bad enough to prompt action by Gov. Steve Beshear, who last week asked for federal assistance.

Beshear sent a letter to USDA Secretary Ed Schafer asking that disaster assistance be “made available to farmers across the commonwealth due to crop losses resulting from widespread drought conditions that began in early 2008 and continue today.
“Kentucky has experienced limited rainfall this year, causing the state to move into drought status, which is supported by the Palmer Drought Index and Crop Moisture Index. Our farmers were dealt a severe setback with the record drought of 2007 and are now forced to cope with another drought in 2008.

“The financial burden of two consecutive years of weather-related disasters could be overwhelming for many of our state’s farm families if they do not receive disaster relief,” he concluded.

Then, remnants of Hurricane Ike rolled through on Sept. 14 causing damage to crops and homes across the state. The damage was so bad, a state of emergency was declared in at least 29 counties and 41 towns and cities, according to information from state officials.
Beshear requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration to help recover costs for public damages. “This declaration is necessary to clear the way for federal reimbursement for work done by the state and local governments across the Commonwealth to clean up and make repairs in the aftermath of this horrific storm,” he stated.

At one point an estimated 500,000 people were without power across the state. At least one death had been reported, that of a 10-year-old boy in Shelby County who died after a tree limb struck him.

What next?

With the experiences many farmers have had over the last two years, what’s coming next may be a question they don’t want to ask.

The University of Kentucky Agricul-tural Weather center is calling for normal temperatures and precipitation for the rest of the year.
Kentucky, however, is moving into its traditionally dry period and for the short term it looks as though summer temperatures will hold on at least through this week, with little or no rain in the forecast.
For those into the predictions by The Old Farmers’ Almanac, the news isn’t quite as optimistic.

It calls for below-normal precipitation for much of the coming year with a warmer than normal April and May 2009.

The latest ag statistics for the state indicate the lack of rain is affecting most crops with the exception of tobacco; however, the wind storm caused damage to many tobacco barns.

Soybean farmers are beginning to think their yields will be lower because of the dry conditions and nearly half the hay crop is listed as poor or very poor.

9/24/2008