The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that over 3.5 million acres of farmland have been affected by recent flooding across the country. The list of farmland devastated is remarkably long, and states bordering the Mississippi River were hardest hit. Arkansas tops the list with roughly one million acres damaged by flooding, including 300,000 acres of rice. Tennessee was the next hardest hit, with over 650,000 acres of land flooded. Illinois had an estimated 500,000 acres of farmland flooded, and Mississippi and Missouri each have roughly 600,000 acres damaged.

The massive agricultural damage across the South will most likely result in severe economic hardships across the region. Agriculture is one of the major economic forces in the South and Southeast, and this level of damage could result in millions, if not billions, of dollars in lost revenue. While some farmers may be able to get a crop in the ground over the next few weeks, it is unlikely, according to some economists, that they will emerge unscathed.

Some economists, however, believe that reports of crop losses may be overstated. Corn farmers, in particular, who planted their crops before the string of severe weather experienced above average yields, according to University of Illinois economist Darrel Good. This yield may offset losses from recent flooding.

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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer