News

Standing water persists while some Missouri planting gets done

High water in Missouri is slow to recede and continues to cause damage, although some parts of the state are dry enough to allow planting. Missouri Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn says overflowing creeks and rivers have caused planting delays and prevented planting, but the water has also reached grain storage bins that have never flooded until this year.

“So not only are they looking at not being able to plant a crop for 2019, but they also lost the crop they raised in 2018,” Chinn told Brownfield Ag News Wednesday, “so it’s going to have a really devastating impact.”

Chinn says producers unable to plant, or with a drowned crop, still face a lot of work and expense resulting from flooding.

“They still have to clean up the farm, they still have to take care of their livestock,” said Chinn, “but they know that they’re probably not going to get a paycheck this year to be able to help pay those bills and it’s stressful.”

For some, however, there’s been a turn. Chinn calls the past week a blessing with warmer, dryer weather that’s allowed planting progress where there isn’t standing water.

“Farmers are able to get out in the fields and get some planting done, so we’re making up a lot of lost time right now,” she said. “If we can continue to have some good weather, you’ll see a lot of progress in this coming week as well.”

Chinn made her comments at Brownfield headquarters Wednesday.