News

Missouri opening up water and lands for drought relief

Missouri’s governor has pulled state agencies together to allow farmers to pump water from state conservation areas for drought mitigation. Governor Mike Parson announced a two-stage relief effort with department heads this morning that also includes a hay lottery on state park lands, “By us helping a little bit, maybe we save some peoples’ businesses and their farms out there and that’s what we’re trying to do here today is make sure we provide the resources to help one another in agriculture.” Parson says Missouri farmers need rain and the government can’t help with that, only Mother Nature can. Parson says he’s feeding hay to his cattle in August for the first time in his lifetime, because of the drought.

Missouri Cattlemen’s Mike Deering says water access is his group’s number one priority, “There are feed alternatives out there for livestock but there is  no alternative for water. So, we worked with the governor’s office. We asked them to work with the Department of Conservation for access points to where we can pump water.” And, Deering says any access to hay is extremely important, “The lottery system, you know, there’s going to be some hurt feelings. You have that whether you have the wells in 2012 or this. But, at least, at least they’re trying to do something and give some farmers the opportunity. We just hope the right farmers get that.”

Deering credits the governor for the unprecedented drought mitigation efforts and agrees with him that the drought has the upper hand, “Just like in 2012, there will be people that go out of business. It’s a sad fact. I mean, we get calls every single day when you hear a grown man cry worried about what they’re going to do. It really impacts you.”

Missouri Ag Director Chris Chinn urges farmers to stay in close contact with their Farm Service Agency offices for state and federal drought relief services.

The one-stop point of contact for Missouri drought relief online – click here.

To make arrangements to pump water, CALL 573-751-4115, ext. 3209

Audio: Governor Parson and cabinet leaders and others at roundtable on drought mitigation efforts ~

Audio: Interview with Mike Deering, executive VP and Greg Buckman, president Missouri Cattlemen’s Association ~