Wet Spring Hurts Kentucky Corn, Soybean Farmers

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This year’s wet spring season is causing problems for farmers in western Kentucky who are trying to get corn and soybeans planted.

The farmers said they have been hurt by the recent series of thunderstorms and torrential rains that have caused a lot of replanting and washouts, according to The Gleaner.

“The fields are getting a tremendous amount of gullies and washouts,” Charles Alexander, a local farmer and county magistrate, said. “We have to replant, and the corn we replant will stay in the ground and rot” if the rain continues.

Henderson County agricultural extension agent Camille Lambert said replanting may not be cost-effective for farmers.

“Replanting a crop can be one of the hardest decisions a farmer can make,” Lambert said. “Most of the time, the money lost by having to replant won’t be recovered.”

According to Lambert, the best times for planting corn in western Kentucky usually range from April 1 to May 1. Historically, May to early June has been the recommended window for planting full-season soybeans in the state.

“I think April was dry, but this has probably been the wettest May” in a long time, Ab Cates with Cates Farms said.

He said it could take three or four days of sunshine before the fields will dry out, and even then, there’s the chance that the rivers could rise and flood the fields.

“We normally plant 1,300 acres of corn and soybeans altogether,” he said. “Currently, we only have 300 acres of corn planted. We’re probably a little behind but not too much. It depends on how fast it dries out.”