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New drought relief plan unveiled in MO

The director of Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources says updates to the state’s drought relief plan were made with agriculture in mind.

Dru Buntin tells Brownfield agriculture is one of the first sectors affected by drought and it starts with the ability to water livestock. The plan highlights how different regions handle the drought and considers water availability.

“It’s trying to do things like provide conservation those practices that will assist producers in the current drought or will make it less impactful in the next drought, developing those water sources or putting in place interconnects between systems or developing new water sources.”

Buntin says Missouri is also adding new soil moisture monitoring stations to improve the accuracy of the U.S. Drought Monitor map. This can help farmers get federal relief more quickly.

“It’s very frustrating when they see the severity of drought in their area is the same or worse in areas that are on the drought map deemed to be at a higher threshold on the drought map.”

The plan does not include data from 2022, but a data from the draft plan is being used to create solutions implemented by the state’s Drought Assessment Committee for producers. The DNR is seeking public feedback on the drought plan by February 7.