Recent rains cast unexpected dark cloud over some of Ky. burley tobacco crop

Some Ky. tobacco farmers dealt late-season setback

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Recent heavy rains in Kentucky have delivered a late-season setback to some tobacco farmers as their leaf ripens, dampening hopes for a bumper crop.

More than a half-foot of rain fell across part of the Bluegrass State last week as the bulk of the burley tobacco crop was curing in barns. It’s an autumn ritual when the long green leaves gradually change to reddish brown in a process that prepares the leaf for market.

The prolonged stretch of wet weather in the state that leads the nation in burley production has heightened the risk of tobacco being afflicted with mold or fungus that can rot away part of the leaf.

Fields with uncut tobacco turned into muddy bogs, slowing harvest and hurting leaf quality, but agriculture officials are still optimistic.