USDA Under Secretary Northey calls flood devastation mind-boggling

By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst speaks as (left to right) Farmer Andy Spiegel and USDA Under Sec. Bill Northey look on as Spiegel’s farm near Watson.

An Under Secretary with the United States Department of Agriculture says his visit to flooded farmland in northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa overwhelmed him with the scope of this year’s flood.

Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, Bill Northey, says flooding is always devastating, but admits he wasn’t prepared for what awaited him.

“It’s just mind-blogging to be able to see it in person; how much water there is and how much water has to get off of here to eventually make this land such that they can get out there and get some planting done,” Northey tells reporters at the Andy Spiegal farm just off I-29 near Watson.

Spiegel takes Northey on a tour of his flooded farm.

Northey has taken a tour of the area inundated with water. Then, Spiegal took Northey for a drive around his farm with floodwaters lapping too close for comfort to the front door of his home. Some equipment is nearly underwater. Floodwater surrounds many of his sheds.

Northey, the former Iowa Agriculture Director, understands farm fields sit unprotected even as farmers wait for floodwaters to recede.

Floodwaters around and in sheds on the Spiegal farm.

“This is going to take a long time to get out of the way so folks can get back to picking up debris and trying to rebuild levees and certainly get back to a more normal situation,” Northey says. “But, it could be worse before it gets better as well.”

Farmers have told Northey they fear future flooding this year. The widespread flooding has wrecked the private levee system which provides some protection to bottom ground as well as area towns. Floodwaters have begun to recede from Hamburg, Iowa, but a good portion of the town remains under water. The flood overwhelmed Craig and Watson in northwest Missouri, reaching places never touched by flooding previously. Recovery has began in Atchison and Holt Counties.

The Spiegel farm, just off I-29 near Watson.

Northey says he will have two messages for Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue when he meets with him next week to deliver his report on his observations. One, that farmers need help to recover now and, two, that changes need to be made in management of the Missouri River to prevent a recurrence.

“That it’s devastating and we’ve talked to producers. This is one of the worse they’ve had. That we need to be able to work with our partners in other parts of federal government to say, how do we need to address the overall issue going forward, but also how do we need to help people respond right now?”