Helping Missouri Farmers Confront Drought Conditions
Last week, the governor announced emergency resources available for farmers tackling drought conditions across Missouri. Family farms are eligible to receive 5,000 gallons of water each day from one of 33 locations — 28 conservation areas and five state parks. In addition, the governor instituted a lottery system for farmers who are interested in haying on designated state park land.
This comes as Missouri confronts worsening drought conditions throughout the state. The governor had previously declared a drought alert for 47 counties in July, which was later expanded to 86 counties — approximately three of every four counties in Missouri. As you may know, the problem is especially dire in our area of the state; every county in the 12th Senatorial District is considered to be experiencing moderate to exceptional drought conditions.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has compiled a list of various drought resources available to Missouri landowners. You can view that list at dnr.mo.gov/drought.htm. A map of water access locations, many of which are in northwest Missouri, can be found at dnr.mo.gov/documents/drought-water-hauling-map.pdf. To make arrangements to pump water for your family farm, please call DNR at (573) 751-4115, ext. 3209.
Your state government is working hard to support Missouri farmers during these tough times. If you would like to receive periodic reports on drought conditions and resources, you can sign up for automatic email updates through the DNR drought webpage.
As always, please feel free to call, email or write with your ideas or concerns. My Capitol office number is (573) 751-1415, my email is dan.hegeman@senate.mo.gov and my mailing address is Room 332, State Capitol Building, Jefferson City, MO 65101.