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Hurst: Farmers need rain, need atrazine

The heat wave is wearing on farmers in the Midwest. Blake Hurst, President of the Missouri Farm Bureau, says it’s one of biggest topic of conversation this week at headquarters in Jefferson City.

“We’ve got people from all over the state that come to our resolutions meeting and we started off the meeting by going around the room. And, just a lot of areas that haven’t had a rain for three weeks or, in some places, a month. And with these temperatures it is beginning to be more and more serious so just praying for rain for everyone in the Midwest because we certainly need it.”

The other big topic is fighting the EPA’s proposal to lower allowable levels of the herbicide atrazine. Hurst says the extra 60 day comment period will allow more farmer’s voices to be heard. He says if atrazine levels are lowered it will hurt corn and sorghum growers.