Missouri Governor Jay Nixon recently asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Farm Service Agency to begin damage assessments for all Missouri counties because of an ongoing drought.

While this spring and summer have not seen a repeat of previous year’s devastating tornados and floods, the Midwest is currently in the grip of an increasingly severe drought. States like Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa all report record low precipitation and record high temperatures.

While the increasingly dry weather has not yet led to crop failures, the governor and agricultural officials are planning to monitor the drought throughout the summer. “The heat and drought will likely cause crop yields to decrease and livestock to be under greater stress,” Nixon said. “This year, many Missouri farmers have undergone a number of hardships caused by weather conditions. Hay is already in short supply, impacting livestock farmers. Timely damage assessments by the Farm Service Agency will help those farmers who have been affected recover more quickly.”

A disaster designation would allow farmers to be considered for FSA emergency disaster funding and would allow qualified farmers to receive low interest disaster loans.

To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.

Follow us on: Twitter

Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer