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Kentucky farmer says field conditions were ideal for planting

Near-ideal planting conditions helped Kentucky farmers get a solid start in the field.  Corn planting is 14% complete, compared to the previous week at 5% and the 5-year average of 12%.  Soybeans are 7% planted compared to 4% the previous week and the 5-year average of 2%.

Adam Hendricks farms near Bowling Green and tells Brownfield last week was about perfect.  “The ground is in really good shape,” he says.  “We’re working as hard and fast as we can to get the crop in the ground while the conditions are right and the time of year is right.  The soil temperature is there.”

Wheat is rated 75% good to excellent with 6 percent of the crop headed. 

He says conditions are a mixed bag in his part of the state.  “We’ve got some earlier maturities that didn’t like the cold weather as well, so it got hit pretty hard,” he says.  “Due to  the mild winter, things got a lot bigger than normal.  So we did have some varieties that got hit or injured with the freeze. Later varieties seem to be okay.”

Tobacco transplants are rated 85% good to excellent and 74% of transplants are seeded, about 3% ahead of the 5-year average.

Pastures are rated 60% good to excellent.  Alfalfa freeze damage is reported at 1% severe and 4% moderate. 

Topsoil is rated 90% adequate to surplus and subsoil moisture is rated 91% adequate to surplus.