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Fordyce: Droughts are awful things
The head of the Farm Service Agency says much of the Corn Belt looks good, and he’s looking for options in those areas that are not getting rain.
In the last two weeks, Richard Fordyce has been in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and on Tuesday, in Illinois.
“The crops look really good in all those areas,” Fordyce told Brownfield Ag News during his stop at the Illinois State Fair.
The point is, close to his home place in northwest Missouri, there’s a pocket of exceptionally dry weather and hurting farmers.
“Droughts are just awful things,” said Fordyce. “As a farmer, you have a positive attitude and you continue to expect to get rain, and when you don’t, it just compounds that frustration and disappointment.”
At the FSA, Fordyce says options are still being considered, but he expects drought affected farmers will see expanded Conservation Reserve Program haying and grazing, forage subsidies and assistance with water distribution and hauling.
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