The USDA’s Kentucky Crop & Weather report for the week of Sept. 3-9 said significant and favorable rains had occurred across the state during that period. Total rainfall during the week averaged 2.12 inches and average temperature was at 74 degrees.

Further, Kentucky NASS said the average amount of moisture contained in Kentucky topsoil at that date was rated 9 percent very short, 31 percent short and 60 percent adequate or better. The average moisture content of the state’s subsoil, however, was rated a dryer 24 percent very short, 38 percent short, 36 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus.

Chad Lee, a University of Kentucky extension grain crops agronomist, said after-effects of Isaac caused mild rains in the state and brought much-needed moisture to the fields. Relatively mild rainfall, he said, allows ground soil to soak up most of the water and field plants to use more of the moisture.

Lee said soybeans benefited more than corn from the rains. Except for a few fields where corn was planted late, he said most of the crop in Kentucky received no benefit from the rains, and the wet weather only delayed the drydown of kernels.

Further, said Lee, the smaller ears that are the result of previous dry conditions have resulted in tighter husks. And he said those have made drydown of the kernel more difficult and delayed the process.

“For soybeans that were within 15 days of maturity,” Lee said, “those rains are all that the crop should need to make good seed size and reach maturity.”

He noted, however, that soybeans just starting seed fill might need one more rain event to allow their seeds to reach full size.

The USDA’s statistics on crop progress said 96 percent of the state’s corn had reached dent stage and 47 percent was already harvested. Only 20 percent of this year’s corn was rated fair to good.

Thirty-six percent of soybeans had dropped their leaves and 4 percent had already been harvested. The condition of the crop was rated 29 percent fair, 25 percent good and 8 percent excellent.

Both burley and dark tobacco were 50 percent cut, behind the five-year average of 61 percent. Condition of the housed tobacco was found to 30 percent fair and 60 percent good to excellent.

Pastureland was rated 15 percent very poor, 28 percent poor and 35 percent fair, with 20 percent good and only 2 percent excellent.

Ample rainfall continued to help crop conditions across the state as harvest time nears or has begun. The latest information from the Tennessee NASS field office reported cotton, soybeans and tobacco crops showing improvement, and in mostly good shape.

According to the Sept. 10 report: “Topsoil moisture levels were rated 2 percent very short, 16 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated 11 percent very short, 27 percent short, 61 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.”

The cotton crop was rated as being 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 57 percent good and 10 percent excellent. Soybeans were rated as 3 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 27 percent fair, 49 percent good and 11 percent excellent.

Tobacco was rated at 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 56 percent good and 13 percent excellent. Pastures were rated at 4 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 35 percent fair, 42 percent good and 6 percent excellent.

As far as harvest goes, corn for grain stood at 64 percent, well ahead of last year and the five-year average. Fifty-four percent of the burley crop had been harvested as of Sept. 9, while 58 percent of the dark air-cured tobacco and 46 percent of the dark fire-cured had made it to the barn.