JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — For the last week, counties across Missouri have been getting the news that they are eligible for federal disaster relief in the wake of weeks of heavy rains the flooded much of the state and drastically delayed crop plantings.
On Aug. 7, President Barack Obama approved of Gov. Jay Nixon’s request for a disaster declaration for 68 Missouri counties most impacted by flooding — the most since the Great Flood of 1993. From mid-May until late June, Missouri experienced torrential downpours of rain that made soil in farms across the state too wet to plant in.
“The prolonged severe weather system that repeatedly hit Missouri with flooding and severe storms caused an estimated $38 million in damage to roads, bridges and other public infrastructure and resulted in at least 10 deaths,” Nixon said at the time. “This declaration will help bring much needed financial assistance to the many communities that have sustained excessive response costs and heavy damage to essential public infrastructure.”
Missouri has received multiple disaster declarations associated with the heavy rains of late spring and early summer. The Presidential disaster declaration makes local governments and eligible non-profits able to seek federal assistance in recovering costs associated with severe weather and flooding. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which came for 15 Missouri counties earlier this week, makes farmers in the affected areas eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans.
At the same time, farmers are still waiting on a USDA decision about whether or not Missouri farmers will receive crop insurance despite filing acreage reports — a requirement for crop insurance that can only be measured after planting — after the federal deadline because of heavy rains. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster filed suit against the USDA to compel an exemption, and Missouri awaits a final decision.
Christine Tew, a spokesperson for the Missouri Soybean Association, told The Missouri Times that the various declarations provided different types of federal assistance, and that the attention paid to the problem has helped minimize the impact.
“We appreciate the attention it has been paid,” Tew said. “Each farmer has to make their own decision about whether they can go out into that field and plant, and this is one more tool that allows farmers to protect crops.”
The ultimate impact to Missouri’s crop yields that the wet spring and summer will have is unknown. Tew said it was too early in the season to speculate, while the USDA has early estimates that up to one quarter of Missouri’s soybeans may not have been planted.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
