Ice weighs heavily on farmers

Missouri farmers may be wondering why Mother Nature has given them the cold shoulder.

The ice storm that hit the region Jan. 12–14 was just another blow to an agriculture industry already reeling from the effects of a multiyear regional drought.

Some farmers are taking drastic measures to cope, including liquidation.

Mark Sconce, president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Polk County Chapter, has sold off about 30 cattle from his 350-acre farm near Eudora, which normally contains 80 to 100 head. The Springfield Livestock Marketing Center purchased Sconce’s cattle.

Bob Schultheis, University of Missouri Extension engineering specialist for Webster County, expects more farmers will take the same steps.

“There’s probably going to be some liquidation of herds,” Schultheis said. “A number of farmers are realizing they don’t have enough hay and can’t afford enough to make it through to the spring when we may have enough pasture again.”

Even before the storm, statewide beef cow tallies were down. As of Jan. 1, the number of beef cattle dipped 2.7 percent from a year ago, to 2.15 million head.

Fighting the cold

Local farmers, however, are already financially reeling, and ice-related issues are adding to the spin.

Hay is nonexistent within 200 miles of southwest Missouri, causing inflated prices, Sconce said. State hay production levels in 2006 are only up about 3 percent from 2005, when hay production was down nearly 30 percent from 2004, according to MASS.

Hay that sells for $25 to $30 a bale during normal conditions is selling for $70 to $90, not including the cost of shipping it to the area, which can add $50 to $60.

Furthermore, cattle need to eat more than usual to stay warm in the extreme cold.

Sconce said he may have to borrow to get by, even though he held back extra hay in preparation for the winter; he said he still will need about 50 bales more to get through to the warmer months.

Multiply Sconce’s situation by the 160 members in his cattlemen’s association, and “you’re talking about 8,000 bales just for Polk County.”

Some of those members, Sconce added, are selling off a larger part of their herds – something he hopes he won’t have to do.

“Some of the other producers can’t afford to buy the hay,” he said. “I can’t either, honestly, but you have to do one thing or another to make it – you can’t let the cattle starve. This is my livelihood, this is my living, so I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and try to find some hay somewhere to make it.”

The weight of up to 2 inches of ice created other problems for local farmers as well.

Dee Lewis is a retired music teacher who owns nearly 200 acres for beef cattle near Marshfield. He said he faced just about every problem a farmer could face during the recent ice storm – pasture fences damaged by fallen trees and limbs, electricity losses, malfunctioning generators and frozen or damaged water pumps.

While he’s still working on cleaning up the damage and doesn’t know exactly what the final cost will be, he’s trying to see the positive.

“The good thing is, I’ll have enough firewood to last me until I die,” Lewis said, “if I can get it all piled up.”

Help on the way?

The USDA has two funding programs for farmers with physical damage.

The Emergency Conservation Program provides emergency funding – up to 75 percent of the cost – for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by a natural disaster.

“There are a number of counties that have been approved to cost share or assist landowners in removing debris so they can rebuild their fences and remove debris along their cropping fields,” said Wyman Miller, executive director of the Greene County Farm Service Agency.

The problem: Congress has to appropriate funds for that assistance, and it has yet to do so. Miller is trying to be optimistic.

“Funding is not available yet, but we are taking applications for it at least,” he said.

A second source is the Emergency Physical Loss Loan program, which allows farmers to request loans to recoup physical losses in regions that have been declared natural disaster areas for agricultural losses.

The USDA made that declaration Feb. 2 for 29 counties in Missouri, including Greene, Polk, Webster and Christian counties.

“They also have to meet the definition of a family-size farm, and there are other qualifications,” said Dan Gieseke, farm loan chief for the Missouri Farm Service Agency. “They have to be credit worthy, there have to be securities (and) there has to be repayment ability.”

Farmers are only eligible if they don’t qualify for a loan elsewhere and if they are able to repay the money. Interested farmers should contact their local Farm Service Agency office.

Polk County hay sale

In an effort to help farmers in and around Polk County, the county Cattlemen’s Association received about 80 large bales of hay, donated by cattlemen’s associations from Lewis and Marion counties, to auction off Feb. 8. The proceeds from the sale went to a group of several area charities – including Relay for Life and Polk County Christian Social Ministries – and to pay for transportation costs to bring in additional hay for future auctions. [[In-content Ad]]