Tobacco harvest is under way, hampered by above-normal rainfall. According to the Aug. 10 crop and progress condition report from the Kentucky field office of NASS, the state received 1.21 inches of rainfall during the previous week. That’s 0.21 above normal for this time of year.

Across the state, precipitation varied wildly, though, with a low of 0.02 inch reported at the Peabody reporting station and a high of 4.31 inches at Owingsville.

Overall, topsoil moisture was rated at 0 percent very short, 5 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture numbers were similar, at 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 16 percent surplus.

Temperatures averaged 75 degrees, just 1 degree below normal, and farmers saw 4.6 days out of seven suitable for fieldwork.

The excess rainfall has drowned out some of the low-lying tobacco acreage, and some producers have discovered target spot and black shank have taken a toll on some fields. Along with tobacco harvest, activities for the week included cutting hay and spraying late soybeans for weed and insect control.

While single-crop soybeans are progressing at or ahead of normal schedule, many areas of double-crop beans are behind normal progress.