May 31, 2007

 

Drought slashes hay production in Kentucky, worries cattle farmers

 

 

Kentucky's normally lush spring has taken on a brownish tinge this year amid a dry spell causing concern among farmers.

 

The bluegrass and southeastern regions are in a moderate drought and the rest of the state is in a mild drought, Tom Priddy, a University of Kentucky extension agricultural meteorologist, said Wednesday.

 

"It's about as dry as we ever see it on the first of June here, which is a little scary knowing that we're going into ... our drier months," said Steve Moore, Henry County agricultural extension agent.

 

Rainfall deficits range from 6 to 9 inches in the south to 2 to 4 inches in the west, Moore said. The lack of rain has curtailed hay production and prompted water conservation.

  

The dry spell follows a freeze in early April that inflicted at least US$70 million in crop losses statewide, including winter wheat, peach and apple crops.

  

Moore called the freeze followed by drought a "double whammy" for farmers. Growers have delayed setting some tobacco because of the parched soil, he said, and at least one farmer started irrigating to keep his tobacco alive.

  

Cattle farmers are worried that lower hay production will cause winter feed shortages.

  

Todd Herrell, who farms in Henry County with his brother Dennis, said their hay yields are off by 50 percent and sections of pastures are turning brown.

 

Ted Holland, a Scott County cattleman, said his hay fields have produced yields ranging from a third to 60 percent below normal. If the dryness persists, pastures will be useless within a month, forcing cattle producers to dip into hay stocks, he said.

 

"If you start feeding hay that early with a low hay crop to start with, it's going to be tough," he said. "There's s not going to be enough hay ... to put cattle through the winter."

  

Holland said that scenario could lead to a glut of cattle on the market, which would depress prices.

 

Thirty-five percent of the state's hay crop is rated poor or very poor in the latest weekly report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service's Kentucky field office.

 

Spring-planted row crops are faring better. Nearly three-quarters of the state's corn and soybean crops are rated good or excellent, the report said.

 

The dry spell has prompted water restrictions usually not seen until summer droughts, though relief might be on the horizon with a chance of rain this weekend.

 

It will not be enough to wipe out the drought "in one fell swoop, but maybe it will prevent conditions from getting worse," said Mike Callahan, a National Weather Service hydrologist.

 

In the long term, Kentucky's forecast from June through August calls for normal temperatures and precipitation, Callahan said. Those months are typically drier, which could make it difficult to make up the rainfall deficit.

 

"If we can get a couple thunderstorms, we'll be OK," he said.