LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky farmers continue to complete the 2021 harvest season, despite the cool, wet weather, according to the state’s Nov. 1 USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report.

“Primary activities for this week included harvesting corn and soybeans, stripping tobacco and seeding winter wheat,” said David Knopf, director of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Eastern Mountain Regional Office.

“The week was book-ended with cool, wet weather proving a hindrance to fieldwork at times,” he added. “With that said, farmers were able to push ahead with progress in the middle portion of the week. Housed tobacco was reported 73 percent in good condition as stripping moves along.”

The report said pasture condition remains mostly good; however, heavy rain will make it susceptible to livestock traffic, with falling temperatures stunting regrowth moving forward.

“Livestock are in mostly good condition at this time,” the report read. “Winter wheat planting is pushing ahead as the current crop is in mostly good condition.”

In fact, the USDA’s October Crop Production Report for Kentucky, released Oct. 12, showed an increased harvest for corn and hay, compared with a year ago, with soybean production expected to be lower than last year, but still the fourth-largest crop in state history.

“Growers expect that corn and soybean yields will be record highs,” Knopf said. “The growing season has seen favorable moisture and temperatures, and harvest conditions have been good, to date.”

The report said Kentucky corn production is forecast at 268 million bushels, unchanged from the September forecast, and up 7 percent from the previous crop. Yield was estimated at 185 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month, and up 1 bushel from the 2020 level. Acres for harvest as grain were estimated at 1.45 million acres, up 90,000 acres from 2020.

Kentucky soybean production is forecast at 98.5 million bushels, unchanged from the September forecast, and down 3 percent from 2020. Yield was estimated at 55 bushels per acre, unchanged from last month and a year ago. Acreage for harvest as soybeans was estimated at 1.79 million acres, down 50,000 acres from the previous year.

Kentucky alfalfa hay production is forecast at 513,000 tons, up 1 percent from the 2020 level, the report added. Other hay production is estimated at 5.04 million tons, up 2 percent from last year.

Knopf said the state experienced near-normal temperatures and above-normal rainfall the week ending Oct. 31.

“The weather pattern turned quite active for the Bluegrass State over the last week of October,” he said. “The state averaged over 1.5 inches behind multiple rounds of rainfall. The week opened with a line of showers and storms pushing through the region early Monday (Oct. 25) ahead of a strong cold front.

“Totals were highest across Western Kentucky and tapered farther east,” he added. “The state then saw a temporary period of dry and cool conditions through Wednesday (Oct. 27). Temperatures were coolest on Wednesday morning when much of Kentucky dipped into the mid to upper 30s, prompting some patchy frost to form across the area.”

He said a prolonged period of wet weather then arrived between Oct. 28 and Oct. 30, as a system slowly worked across the state.

“This activity closed what was a fairly wet October for Kentucky,” he said. “Preliminary data from the (University of Kentucky) Ag Weather Center shows the state averaged 4.28 inches, which is about three-quarters of an inch above normal.

“Temperatures for the period averaged 54 degrees across the state, which was near normal, and 4 degrees cooler than the previous period,” he added. “High temperatures averaged from 63 (degrees) in the West to 59 (degrees) in the east.”

Matt Dixon, University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center meteorologist, said in his Nov. 1 report, the forecast focus over the upcoming week would ultimately be on temperatures, “which will likely be the coolest we’ve seen this fall. As high pressure moves overhead on Friday and Saturday, an official end to the growing season is not entirely out of the question.”

As of Nov. 3, subfreezing temperatures for multiple nights were ahead, he said, adding that the average first freeze of the season usually occurs in late October for most of the state, with some even into early November.

He said lows the evening of Nov. 3 ranged from the middle to upper 20s across the eastern half of Kentucky, to the middle 30s throughout Western Kentucky.

“The cold is not going anywhere,” he said, adding that most of Kentucky was under a freeze warning Nov. 3. “Once again, most should go below freezing, even Western Kentucky with this round.

“Bottom line: time to protect any sensitive vegetation,” he added. “At this point in the season, most fall gardens are probably done or about done. I believe the main concern with the upcoming light frosts is the potential for cyanide poisoning in cattle.”