According to the Kentucky Climate Center, Kentucky averages between 42 and 52 inches of rainfall each year.
Considering that, year-to-date, the Adair County Mesonet station has recorded 62.1 inches of rainfall for 2025, one might assume crop yields would be good. However, that total does not account for when the rain fell.
From January through March, Adair County recorded 17.7 inches of precipitation. We typically think of April as the start of the growing season, as that’s when corn and soybean planting begins.
April rainfall totaled 9.3 inches, delaying planting. May and June didn’t let up either, recording 8.4 and 9.7 inches respectively.
Crops were planted between rainfall events, when possible, but too often the soil was too saturated for proper seedling development.
July and August are critical months for corn, as water requirements reach their highest point during the reproductive stages of ear and kernel development. During hot, sunny days in this stage, corn can use as much as 2 inches of water per day. July 2025 recorded only 4.5 inches of rain, followed by just .8 inches in August. It’s important to note that these rainfall amounts were not uniform across Adair County.
The lack of adequate rainfall during crop reproductive stages, combined with excessive rainfall early in the season that prevented proper root development, was evident in yields this fall.
Official county estimates will not be available from USDA until spring 2026 but yields recorded for 2025 will no doubt be significantly lower than in 2024.
For hay producers, excessive rainfall delayed harvest. For high production of cool-season grasses, the first cutting should occur in early May. For many, first cuttings didn’t begin until early June and weren’t completed until mid-summer.
Of the 61 days in May and June 30 had recorded rainfall of at least .01 inches, with a cumulative total of 18.1 inches. By the time harvests were complete, limited rainfall in July and August hampered yields of second cuttings.
Furthermore, hay quality was severely compromised. While hay yields were good, the poor quality will be evident this winter in cattle performance.
Livestock, especially those nursing offspring, will require significant supplemental nutrition in most cases.
In farming, we cannot control the weather. Can we develop strategies to make our operations more resilient when weather doesn’t cooperate?
The answer is yes– but it’s not easy. Crop insurance is widely utilized among corn and soybean producers. While crop insurance cannot make a person financially whole again, it can and does lessen the financial impact of adverse weather.
For livestock producers, having a diverse forage plan that meets the nutritional needs of animals under various weather conditions is crucial. Some years bring flooding; others bring drought.
Maximizing grazing days (and acres) and integrating cool-season and warm-season annual crops, in addition to traditional fescue hay and pastures, can better position livestock farmers for such weather events.
In 2026, the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service will offer a variety of programs to assist farmers in mitigating farming risks. For more information, contact the Adair County Cooperative Extension Service at 270-384-2317.
