18 MAJOR STATES Corn:  Harvested = 79% vs 42% year ago and 38% for 5-yr avg. Soybeans: Harvested = 71% vs 64% year ago and 58% on average. 

Winter Wheat Planted = 71% vs 68% year ago and 71% on average.

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 KENTUCKY CROP PROGRESS – USDA NASS  Issued 4:00 P.M., October 15, 2012 

AGRICULTURAL NEWS: Kentucky experienced a wide swing in temperatures this last week. Temperatures ranged from the upper 20’s to low 80’s. Temperatures were coolest Thursday morning, but rebounded by the end of the week. Kentucky experienced 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork out of a possible seven this past week. Rain for the week totaled 0.28 inches, 0.45 inches below normal. Temperatures for the period averaged 54 degrees across the state, which was 5 degrees cooler than normal, and was 6 degrees cooler than last week. 

Topsoil moisture was rated 3 percent very short, 16 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus.

Subsoil moisture was rated 11 percent very short, 30 percent short, 56 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus.

 CROPS: As of Sunday October 14, ninety-one percent of the corn had been harvested, compared with last year’s 77 percent and the five-year average of 80 percent. 

Soybeans shedding leaves reached 89 percent, compared with 88 percent last year and 93 percent for the five-year average. Seventy-three percent of the soybean crop rated as mature compared with last year at 68 percent and the 5-year average of 78 percent. Forty-two percent of soybeans have been harvested, compared with 35 percent last year and the five-year average of 42 percent. Condition of the soybean crop was reported as 9 percent very poor, 12 percent poor, 28 percent fair, 37 percent good and 14 percent excellent.

 TOBACCO: Housed tobacco condition was rated at 2 percent very poor, 6 percent poor, 24 percent fair, 55 percent good, and 13 percent excellent. The amount of tobacco ready for stripping was 24 percent, while the amount of tobacco already stripped was 8 percent.

 OTHER CROPS AND PASTURE: Winter Wheat seeded was reported at 21 percent, slightly ahead of last year’s 18 percent, but the same as the five-year average.

Pasture conditions continue to improve with moisture and cooler temperatures. Pastures were rated as 4 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 41 percent fair, 35 percent good, and 7 percent excellent.