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Farmer input needed on drought damage
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is calling for farmers in the state to report drought related stresses on crops and livestock.
Missouri DNR’s Jennifer Hoggatt tells Brownfield the department wants to know landowners’ needs so they can open necessary resources.
“Do we need to consider grazing areas that would normally be excluded? That’ll be a decision that we’ll be making,” Hoggatt said. “We offer cover crop practices year-round, and so that’s something that folks can work locally, if we’ve got crop failure.”
She said cover cropping programs are available at local soil and water conservation district offices.
Missouri DNR provided more than $8 million of assistance to landowners during the 2018 drought through the Soil and Water Conservation Program. Hoggatt said federal resources are also available, which are normally trigger as conditions become more severe.
“If we can help really portray and help the national level decision makers understand how bad the drought is here, we can usually trigger some of those resources faster,” she said. “We need folks to report.”
She said forecasted 100-degree highs next week will likely worsen conditions quickly.
Hoggatt said there’s moderate to severe drought along Missouri’s southern border and a severe patch west of Columbia along I-70.
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We have 80 acres. Small ranch, trying to put up hay and crossing our fingers for rain soon our pond is drying up!!! It’s going to be tuff if we have to already start feeding hay!! If people start flooding the market and selling out it’s going to bring prices DOWN!!
I am a small herd cattle farmer in Barry county Mo. we have 6 head on 12 acres. I will be pumping water as our pond dries up and feeding hay. After losing a son 6 year’s ago in an auto accident. I committed to keeping the cattle to help with my grandsons future. However with this drought and no well I don’t know how long we can hang on.