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Slight drought conditions seen in Southeast MissouriMonday, June 18, 2007Last year Southwest Missouri was wracked with drought, creating an emergency for that area's farm economy. So far this growing season, the southwest part of the state has no lack of water, while Southeast Missouri is starting to experience slight drought conditions. "The southeast region is probably experiencing the most shortage of any region of the state," said Gene Danekas, director of the Missouri office of the USDA Agricultural Statistics Service. As of the last report, released a week ago, 62 percent of the Southeast Missouri area was listed as having topsoil moisture levels that are "short" to "very short" -- "by far the worst in the state," Danekas said. The latest report is due out this afternoon. For the three-month period starting in April, Cape Girardeau County was 6.91 inches below its long-term rainfall average, Scott County was 5.56 inches under, Stoddard County was 5 inches under, Perry County was 2.41 inches under, Pemiscot County was 7.37 inches under and New Madrid County was 5.41 inches under, according to measurements from the University of Missouri Extension. Danekas said the dry conditions are not serious at this point, mainly delaying the germination of some recently planted soybeans. The U.S. Drought Monitor compiled by federal agencies shows an area of severe drought in the Southeastern United States is growing. Southeast Missouri, which had no signs of drought a few weeks ago, was shown as "abnormally dry" according to the latest map, released Tuesday. 335-6611, extension 182 Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
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I'm glad to see that the USDA is finally recognizing that southeast Missouri has been having drought problems. The farmers here have only known that and have been saying that for the last several years. Every year it seems that the irrigation pipe comes out sooner and sooner. This year, soybeans have been planted in powdery dust and sit under the soil for weeks without enough moisture for germination. Or there is just enough moisture to bring them to the surface and then they just sit idle because of lack of moisture. Anyone who raises soybeans knows the risks of irrigation beans when they are very small. I feel very sorry for the farmers that have a lot of acreage that can't be irrigated. Something needs to be done by the USDA and Missouri Department of Agriculture because crop inputs are increasing every year and with the exception of this year, crop prices have been decreasing. This is going to really take a toll on the small farmer I have a feeling.