State officials address drought concerns

Dry times linger on, but state officials want area farmers to know there is help available. In the last month, state agencies have provided more than $20 million in assistance to help farmers and producers combat drought, but one local cattle producer said it might be too little too late.

Missouri Department of Agriculture Director Jon Hagler visited Springfield Aug. 1 to stress the importance of agriculture to Missouri’s economy and talk about the recent drought with a crowd of roughly 30 area businesspeople at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

While one in four Missourians hunt, “four out of four people eat,” Hagler told attendees of the joint meeting of the chamber’s Governmental Relations Committee and the Springfield Business Development Corp., adding that the value of the state’s commodities was $12.5 billion last year, making agriculture the state’s top industry.

Much of Hagler’s 30-minute presentation revolved around the drought conditions that have been prevalent since late May. In Missouri, he said all 114 counties have been declared natural disaster areas, and a lack of rain could continue to be a problem for farmers and agriculture-related businesses through October.  

According to the National Weather Service on Aug. 9, most areas in southwest Missouri have received less than one-half inch of rain during the month of July and first part of August. This is roughly three inches less than is normal for that period.

“The latest drought is historic,” Hagler said. “This drought compares with, in fact, it exceeds all other droughts up to the Dust Bowl.”

Hagler said the length of the ongoing drought is unusual, particularly since it coincides with excessive heat that has often hit triple digits. The combination has led to what Hagler believes is a newly coined term, “flash drought,” which refers to several consecutive days of temperatures above 100 degrees with no rain.

In southwest Missouri, Hagler said beef cattle ranchers are most directly hurt by the dry weather, which is causing beef producers to sell early due to lack of water. In addition, he said the hay crop now looks to be about one-third of its normal size. He said the lack of water could drop herd sizes by 30 percent to 40 percent this year, causing state officials “to do what we call ‘think outside the barn,’” Hagler said.

Hagler said weather prompted Gov. Jay Nixon to work with him to establish an emergency cost-share program aimed at giving farmers better access to water.

The program – which covers up to 90 percent of costs for water projects for agricultural businesses – started with $2 million in funding but ultimately grew to provide nearly $19 million in assistance with the help of 60 employees from both MDA and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.  

Missouri’s emergency cost-share program, which accepted applications through Aug. 6, approved applications to enable 3,712 farmers and livestock producers to receive $18.7 million in aid, according to an Aug. 8 news release.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Missouri’s economy, and we are working quickly to provide emergency relief for farmers and producers who are facing critical water shortages as a result of this historic drought,” Nixon said in the release. “This emergency program is helping our livestock producers and farmers protect their livelihood and uphold a vital pillar of our economy.”  

In addition, Nixon announced Aug. 1 that $2 million would be available in U.S. Small Business Administration-backed loans for farmers and ranchers who have suffered losses due to the drought.

Mark Sconce, a Walnut Grove cattle rancher and operator of Sconce Farm, said he’s reduced his herd size by more than 20 percent this year, choosing to sell in January to minimize the need for healthy grass and water ahead of a dry summer. Sconce said he was prompted by a dry fall and mild winter to prepare for a rough year.

“I kind of suspected we’d have a bad, hot, dry summer,” Sconce said, adding he tried to sell some of the older cows to reduce pressure on the land and replace some of his 1,200-pound cows with 800-pound heifers, knowing they’d eat less.

“There’s an old adage that a drought moves from the southwest to northeast. So, when I saw what they were going through in Texas and Oklahoma, I suspected we were in for it,” he added.

Sconce said the water levels are falling on his 400-acre farm, turning the ponds to “a nasty green,” that can potentially cause sickness. So far, he said he has adequate pond reserves, and has worked to keep the herd around the best ponds.

Financially, he said he hasn’t taken a hit this year, but by reducing his herd to 60 “momma cows,” he’ll have to slowly build his numbers up again to keep producing at a level that will cover the expenses for the family beef farm. Some of the money from culling out cows already is being diverted, he said.

Sconce said he started feeding his herd hay in mid-July, and fielded one offer for hay from Florida priced at $200 per ton. Sconce said in a normal year he’d pay $70 per ton for hay.

“I wasn’t out of grass, but it was all dead and brown, so the nutrition level was down,” Sconce said.

Hagler said areas that were restricted for wildlife across the state have been opened this summer for hay production to help mitigate problems with access to hay.

Sconce – who met the governor twice this summer, once in Polk County at a friend’s farm and once at the Springfield Stockyards – said he’s aware of the state programs, but hasn’t sought assistance because there are others with worse needs. He’s not convinced, though, that the state’s assistance is the best approach to give Missouri farmers the help they need.

“Before the governor showed up, there were more than 100 people in Polk County alone who were wanting well assistance,” Sconce said. “This is a very Band-Aid approach. My question is: Why do we as a society wait until there’s an emergency and then throw money at it instead of looking to the future to prevent emergencies?

“The first well may not be drilled until the middle of September. The drought may be over by the middle of September.”[[In-content Ad]]