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Hot And Wet Summer For Crops

Posted at 2:28 PM, Aug 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-20 14:28:41-04

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — This long, wet summer has had an effect on seasonal crops. One expert says that farmers can ride the wave, but the heat isn’t helping matters.

Chad Lee, a University of Kentucky Extension Agronomist, says that the 2018 crop season has been a wet one, even in the typically dry, summer months. The rain has caused some diseases to op up in crops across the state.

"We’ve had a lot more fungi show up this year on some of our crops than we’d normally expect," said Lee.

The inclement weather has helped balance a hotter than usual summer

"And most years when you’re hotter than normal, you’re not wetter than normal as well. And so to have that extra rain has really helped us out," said Lee. "I’ve been here 16 years now, and it hasn’t ever happened, this combination hasn’t happened in that 16 year period."

A few decades ago, this weather would be a potential disaster for Kentucky crops, but adjustments and advanced technology have helped keep farmers on track.

"While at the end of the day, there are individual hassles and immediate things they’ve got to do to manage this weather, they’re used to these kinds of things," he said.