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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer today called for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns to respond swiftly to Governor Ernie Fletcher’s request for disaster assistance in the wake of the ongoing drought in Kentucky.
“With drought conditions prevailing throughout the state, Kentucky’s farmers need help,” Commissioner Farmer said. “Agriculture is the backbone of Kentucky’s economy. This is important to everyone in the Commonwealth.”
Governor Fletcher made his request in a letter to Johanns earlier this week. In his request, he said crop and pasture losses will be widespread throughout the state and added that Kentucky’s cattle industry could experience an early liquidation of cattle because of the financial strain of providing supplemental feed due to pasture losses.
The Kentucky Agricultural Statistics Service reported on Monday that the commonwealth’s tobacco crop was 55 percent fair, poor or very poor. The moisture stress is adding to problems with disease such as black shank, a fungus that lives in the soil and obstructs a plant’s water uptake. The agricultural statistics service has received several reports of corn in Kentucky drying up prematurely due to heat and lack of moisture. Double crop soybeans are showing minimal development due to lack of rain. Hay and pasture growth has slowed or stopped, and hay already is being fed to supplement pastures, KASS reported.
The Bluegrass region is in severe drought as measured by the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The remainder of the state is in moderate drought. Crop moisture status in the Bluegrass and eastern Kentucky is rated as “too dry, yield prospects reduced.” In the western sections of the state, the crop moisture status is “abnormally dry, prospects deteriorating.” KASS reported topsoil moisture in Kentucky as 89 percent short or very short and subsoil moisture as 82 percent short or very short. Rainfall amounts needed to end the drought are 7.45 inches in the Bluegrass, 5.4 inches in the central region, 5.34 inches in the western region, and 4.14 inches in eastern Kentucky.
The Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet issued a water shortage watch for the western, central and Bluegrass sections of the state last week. A Water Shortage Watch indicates an increased chance for water shortages to occur in a given area.
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