News

Heavy Missouri rains flood fields, delay crop decisions as farmers await replant outlook

Early summer storms have been bringing extreme, localized rain and floods across farms in northeast Missouri.

Addie Yoder, who farms in Shelby and Knox Counties, says since Wednesday her farm has received more than 10 inches of rain in short bursts, leading to widespread flooding.

“I think we got three inches in three hours. And then, it didn’t rain all day. And overnight, Thursday night, we got more than five, maybe six inches. And then last night around 5 p.m., we got, I think, 1.8 inches in 20 minutes.”

She says terraces are full and bottom fields are completely underwater.

“The bottom is the part where we’ll really think about replant where it’s completely flooded, but it’s going to depend on how quickly it drains and how much repair work we have to do to get the field back in shape.”

In Marion County, Matt Wright says his farm received 6 to 10 inches of rain, causing significant runoff and flooding in creek bottoms and low fields.

“We’ve got several 100 acres underwater right now and just waiting to see if it goes off quick enough. I know there’s some that won’t go off quick enough to save the crop, so we’ll have to make an assessment to see if it is there’s still time to replant or if it’s too late for that.”

Meteorologist Chris Kimble with the National Weather Service in St. Louis says there’s more rain and severe weather in the forecast.

“We’re going to have a couple of rounds of thunderstorms,” he says. “The more interesting round is coming through Saturday evening. That’s when we have the potential for strong to severe storms. Damaging winds is the primary threat with that. It’s looking like a late evening type of thing, late afternoon through the evening.”

Wright says he’s trying to remind himself how quickly things can change.

“My dad always said we’re about 10 days from a drought or a flood either way, and right now we’re at flood, and it can turn and go back the other way. We’ll be wishing for a rain one of these days.”

The recent rains could help alleviate the abnormally dry conditions in northeast Missouri.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Addie Yoder.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Chris Kimble, National Weather Service.

Hear Brownfield’s interview with Matt Wright.