Much of Kentucky is abnormally dry or in moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of Friday afternoon, 41 of Kentucky’s 120 counties had burn bans in place, along with four cities. Samantha Wilson is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Louisville. She said even folks who aren’t in those areas should be careful.
“It doesn't take much to make a fire, just a little spark can go a long way, especially as we're seeing drying soil conditions and better fire weather conditions, dry, hot temperatures and slightly gusty winds in the afternoon, it can help promote fires,” Wilson said.
Little rain the past few months also has farmers worried.
Hoppy Henton is a ninth-generation farmer with nearly 2,000 acres in Woodford and Fayette counties. He said the lack of rain the past two months has killed his pastures and will result in much lower yields for his soybeans.
“A crop that would have been 60 bushels, I thought maybe last week would have been 50, 40, we're going to be lucky to make 30 on some of these beans right now,” he said.
On top of that, Henton said, the trade war with China and other nations has cut the worth of grains.
“The prices are terrible for corn and soybeans and wheat, lowest they've been in a long, long time, maybe 15, 20, years,” he said.
Henton said farmers with crop insurance will be reimbursed for production costs, but many don’t have crop insurance.
