Too little too late: Corn and soybeans in jeopardy after dry summer

A lack of rain and extreme heat hit some Kentucky farms hard this summer.

In Lexington, Richard Barton stood next to a field of corn, standing only six feet tall.

“This corn should be eight feet tall right now and it’s not,” said Barton.

Barton’s farm, which has been in the family since his grandfather purchased the property in 1948, has grown tobacco, corn, soybeans and wheat. Over the years, the family has experienced the normal ebbs and flows of farming, but this year proved particularly challenging.

“Farming is like going to Las Vegas,” said Barton. “You might win one day, but you're gonna eventually lose, and this year is one of those years we're gonna lose because of the rain we did not get.”

In June, Barton measured only 1.3 inches of rain, and in July, he saw just 1.6 inches.

Other farms in central Kentucky struggled with rain totals, but counties to the west, Shelby County, for example, saw 5.5 inches of rain in July, according to LEX 18 Chief Meteorologist Bill Meck.

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Holding an ear of corn from a farming friend in Shelby County, Barton noted the size and color compared to an ear of corn from his own field.

“It’s just a 40 mile difference, and that’s getting rain, and that’s not getting rain,” Barton said, comparing the two.

For corn especially, rain in June and July is critical as the crops tassel and pollinate.

One field over, Barton’s soybeans weren’t much better.

In 2023, Barton yielded 90 bushels of soybeans or about 60 pounds of soybeans an acre. This year, the beans are a bust.

Despite grueling work and tireless efforts, unpredictable weather trumps all.

“Every night, every night, just waiting on the rain to come and it didn't come this year,” said Barton.

Crop insurance requires the Bartons to harvest, regardless of the state of their crops.

“We will harvest everything starting in September and get what we can get, but there's not much to get.”

While his corn and beans went down the drain this season, Barton noted that his tobacco wasn’t impacted as harshly by the late rain.

Counting his losses, he feels confident that next year will be better.

“It’s all good, we enjoy being on the farm, being out here and doing what we can with the land.”