Drought: Farmers see little to no rain in most of the county

photo/JAMES ROBERTS Doug Underwood, left, and his son, Ryan, look over his drought-stricken corn crop with Pat Hardesty, Taylor County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources.

Doug Underwood watches as his 5-year-old son Ryan runs through the cornfield. The image paints a telling picture of a farming community in the grip of a drought.

As Ryan runs through the corn, the leaves barely brush his shoulders.

"We shouldn't be able to see him right now," Underwood said.

Underwood has only seen two-tenths of an inch of rain since May 10. That's about how much moisture a waist-high corn crop would need each day.

The drought has stunted the growth of his corn and soybeans and dried up his cow pastures. The corn should be approaching 6 feet tall by now, but it's only topping 3 feet. His pastures should be green, but they are brown and offer little vegetation for his 100-plus cattle operation.

"With timely rain, Doug could still have a reasonably decent crop," said Pat Hardesty, Taylor County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources.

If the rain starts now, Hardesty guesses Underwood's yield losses would be around 10 to 15 percent.

Underwood is not alone. Despite a few occasions of rain in the past week, several Taylor County farmers say their crops need more.

"We do need quite a bit more rain," said Jeff Deener. "A steady rain for a day or two would be nice."

A steady rain isn't likely, according to the National Weather service. The only precipitation in the forecast is thunderstorms, which are typically accompanied by short bursts of heavy rainfall. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

Deener can already see the effects of the dry spell, especially in his corn crop.

"We're behind. Our corn is usually quite a bit taller. There are thin spots in the field."

Taylor County needs about 7 to 10 inches of rain to catch up to average levels, according to Hardesty.

According to the state's Division of Water, Taylor County is one of 61 counties experiencing a moderate drought. As a result, a water shortage watch was issued. A watch status means residents in the water shortage watch area should prepare to reduce non-essential uses of water if asked to do so by their water providers.

Campbellsville Mayor Brenda Allen said Campbellsville Water Co. does not anticipate having to make such an announcement.

A few thunderstorms during the past week did little to remedy the situation.

"We had spotty rains," Hardesty said. "Some got nothing and others got around an inch and a half."

Most of the soils in Taylor County are able to retain a good deal of moisture, meaning crops are able to withstand a lack of rain for a short period of time.

"Our soil moisture is about all gone," Hardesty said. "Unless we start getting regular rainfall, we're going to make our crops on the small amount of rainfall we've had."

If the county doesn't get enough rain, yield in all crops will likely be affected, Hardesty said, though he couldn't say to what degree.

Chad Sullivan said most of his crops are still young enough that the lack of rain isn't having that much of an impact. However, within a few weeks, rain will become crucial.

"They are still young enough that they can hold on, but in a few weeks we are really going to need some rain. When the corn starts the tasseling, pollination phase, it needs more rain," Sullivan said.

Once corn reaches the tasseling stage, during which pollination occurs, it will need at least a half inch of rain a day, Hardesty said. If it doesn't come soon, it may be too little, too late.

The weather is also causing troubles for cattle farmers.

The hot, dry weather is hard on cattle, Hardesty said, particularly dairy cattle.

"The heat and humidity affects milk production," Hardesty said.

Another impact on cattle is the lack of hay.

The combination of a late spring freeze and moderate drought conditions have led to a yield reduction, which, in turn, limits grazing.

Yields from first cuttings were down about 50 percent statewide, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

That means farmers can expect even less with the second cutting, Sullivan said. Yield is always lower the second time around.

"Unless we start getting some regular rainfall pretty quick, we are not going to get much with the second cutting."

The shortage has raised the cost of hay from the $15 to $20 it brought last year to as much as $35 a roll today.

Unable to feed their herds, Hardesty said, some farmers in the southern portion of the state have sold their cattle.

"We have some here looking in that direction."

- Staff Writer James Roberts can be reached at 465-8111 Ext. 226 or by e-mail at writer@cknj.com. Comment on this story at www.cknj.com.