By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Flooding in northwest Missouri could have a long-lasting negative impact on Missouri agriculture.

State Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says the broken levee system renders farms along the Missouri River vulnerable to further flooding this year and makes it difficult for farmers to decide to plant a crop this year, assuming their fields dry out.

“For some of those farmers they’re going to have to make preventative plans and chalk it up as a loss and hope that those levees get repaired so that next year, they’re able to plant a crop,” Chinn tells KFEQ Farm Director Melissa Gregory.

Missouri River flooding not only has wrecked planting season for many bottom ground farmers, it has wrecked roads and bridges throughout northwest Missouri, causing local residents to find ways around closed roads and bridges.

Chinn says just getting around becomes a challenge.

“But also, just the daily travel that they need to do to conduct the business on their farms and ranches,” Chinn says. “Having to go an extra 30 miles out of your way, one way to get to your destination, really adds up in the number of hours you spend away from your farm trying to conduct business in town.”

Chinn says she has been talking with quite a few farmers this spring.

“They’re all very anxious, because they feel like they’re behind where they should be. We’re in May and many guys have not even been able to get into the fields yet to work,” Chinn says. “Last year they had the drought situation and then we had a very wet fall again and a lot of crops were late to be harvested anyway. So, they just feel like they’re in this perpetual motion of playing catchup right now. It’s a frustrating, challenging time for our farmers and ranchers.”