Wettest Year On Record So Far In Kentucky Causes Planting Delays

According to the USDA’s Crop Progress report released May 19, corn and soybean planting is behind the five-year average in Kentucky. Here’s a closer look at the numbers from the perspective of a meteorologist and Kentucky farmer. 

Corn Planting and Emergence

Monday’s report said 63% of Kentucky’s corn is planted, 11 percentage points behind the five-year average. Corn emergence sits at 43%, 9 percentage points behind the five-year average. Shane Holinde, outreach manager for the Kentucky Mesonet, said Kentucky has set a record for the wettest start to the year. 

“The amount of rainfall that some counties have received so far this year is 75-80% of annual average for the state as a whole,” Holinde said. “Normally, Kentucky sees about 50 inches of rain a year, and some counties have received 35–40 inches of rain and we aren’t out of the month of May yet.” 

Holinde said the multiday rainfall event in early April — one that brought more than a foot of rain to some western and central counties — set farmers behind from the beginning of the growing season. Rain hasn’t let up since either, as Holinde said some counties have seen upwards of eight inches of rainfall in May.

“We did have a bit of a window of dryness around the third week of April that allowed for some farmers to get out and plant,” Holinde said. “But those who missed that window are behind the eight ball, and because of the wet May we’ve experienced so far, that has resulted in standing water in some fields across central and western Kentucky, with some corn already having been replanted.”

Soybean Planting and Emergence

According to the Crop Progress report, 43% of Kentucky’s soybeans are planted, three percentage points behind the five-year average. Soybean emergence sits at 26%, on track with the five-year average. 

Farmer Perspective

Brent Gatton, a corn and soybean farmer in Bremen, Kentucky, said in the past few years, he’s been able to wrap up planting around the end of April or the start of May. He said this year is a different story because of the consistent rain. 

“Some individuals that farm right along the river, some of those guys haven’t turned a wheel because the water just turned off, they just got the driftwood picked up, and then it just keeps on raining,” Gatton said. 

Gatton said erosion has also been an issue, no matter what preventive measures were in place. 

“We have seen ditches and gullies and tile lines wash out in these fields in several surrounding counties that you’ve never seen before — some people say they’ve never seen it,” Gatton said. 

Despite delays, Gatton said he’s optimistic in farmers’ abilities to take advantage of an open window to get the remainder of the crop in. He noted different perspectives from farmers across the country in terms of rain. 

“The Midwest is kind of dry, they’re looking for rain,” Gatton said. “But as soon as you cross the Mississippi here, it’s like we’re all begging for it to stop.”