Thanks to Stu Johnson, Kentucky Public RadioKentucky farmers are concerned about an early drought that’s affecting western and central sections of the state. A level one drought has been declared for 24 counties, meaning conditions have developed that affect soil moisture and vegetative health.University of Kentucky Agricultural Meteorologist Tom Priddy says the drought could quickly settle into other areas of the state."Now everything’s still pretty green, but it won’t take long, without getting a good shot of rain. And you know we’d like to have an inch of rain a week for agriculture. And we’re not getting that. Even in the Bluegrass area we’re not getting that," Priddy said.Priddy says the dry conditions starting to take a toll on some western Kentucky corn crops.The outlook for the next ten days shows warm temperatures and only a slight chance of rain for much of the commonwealth.(Drought monitor map courtesy of National Drought Mitigation Center)
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.