The prayers for rain were answered in a big way last week, as the state experienced near-record levels of precipitation in some areas. This came just as some corn was about to take a turn for the worse.

The NASS Kentucky field office reported corn conditions were 6 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 46 percent good and 11 percent excellent. Those percentages represented a slight decline over the week prior to Aug. 11 but before any assessment could be made after the weekend rains.

While the precipitation was welcomed, it may have come too late for early-planted corn. Soybeans are a different matter, however. The rain was badly needed, especially for double-crop beans. The most current NASS report listed soybeans as being 7 percent very poor, 10 percent poor, 25 percent fair, 48 percent good and 10 percent excellent.

Again, this represents a modest decline from the prior week, but conditions are expected to improve especially as temperatures have remained below normal.

Tobacco conditions appear to be the best crop in Kentucky, as a small percentage of it (5 percent) has already been harvested. The remainder of tobacco was listed as being 24 percent fair, 53 percent good and 15 percent excellent. More than half of tobacco has been topped, just ahead of the five-year average of 48 percent.

Pastures also benefited from the rain, although NASS data doesn’t reflect that as yet. Conditions were reported to be 7 percent very poor, 16 percent poor, 36 percent fair, 37 percent good and 4 percent excellent.

The rains made a dent in the dry conditions as it relates to data recorded by the U.S. Drought Monitor. That agency’s latest report showed a marked improvement in drought and dry conditions across Kentucky. Currently just over 37.5 percent of the state is considered "abnormally dry," with just over 12 percent of that classified in the "moderate drought" category.