Western Kentucky farmer says 2012 drought one of top 5 or 6 of all time

08/08/2012 08:38 AM

by Don Weber

• Filed under: Politics

Western Kentucky is suffering from extreme drought conditions this summer which has all but depleted the region’s corn crop.

The drought will have profound economic effects because of the importance of corn across food and energy sectors, as Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer pointed out.

Tripp Furches, owner of Furches Farms in Calloway County just outside of Murray, has seen first hand what the hot weather has done. Furches, who has farmed for 30 years,
said it’s the worst drought he’s seen since 1988.

The University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Center reported that western Kentucky would need nearly 16 inches of rain to end the drought.

Don Weber

Don Weber is a Video Journalist for Spectrum News and covers politics and education on Pure Politics, Kentucky’s only nightly program dedicated to state politics. Don is a lifelong Kentuckian and a graduate of Northern Kentucky University. He spent many years covering sports in the Northern Kentucky area before shifting primarily to politics. You can watch Don’s work weeknights at 7:00 and 11:30 on Pure Politics, available exclusively on Spectrum News, HD Channels 403 and 715. If you have a story idea you can reach Don at donald.weber@charter.com.