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Severe weather impacts MO spring planting

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe says severe weather has hit Missouri’s farmers and ranchers hard this spring.

“I would say most of the Bootheel and surrounding counties will be replanting. It’s significant flooding that stayed on those fields for days and many of those fields, not all, but many were already planted,” he says. “The issue is now getting the soil dry enough to replant. It will be a challenging spring for farmers.”

Kehoe recently sent a letter to the USDA, asking the agency to provide federal disaster assistance to 27 counties in southern Missouri following damaging winds, excessive rains and flooding.

“I look for a quick response from them. We just sent the letter in the last few days.”

He says the recent rains are likely to make flooded fields worse. But Missouri Ag Director Chris Chinn says the rain also brings some much-needed moisture to the abnormally dry and moderate drought areas of Missouri.

“It’s all Mother Nature’s timing and we’re hopeful for timely rains with the right amount of moisture moving forward.”

Brownfield interviewed Kehoe and Chinn at the Drive to Feed Kids at the Missouri Capitol.