Cape County among drought declarations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that 16 of 26 southern Missouri counties have qualified for drought disaster declarations. The declaration includes five counties --including Cape Girardeau County -- as primary disaster areas and 11 others as contiguous disaster counties.

The disaster designation makes farm operators in both primary and contiguous counties eligible to be considered for low-interest emergency loans provided from the Farm Service Agency. FSA will take into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

Gerald Bryan, a regional agronomist with the University of Missouri Extension office in Jackson, said that overall for the season, there was more rain than normal. But he added that almost all of it came early in the month and then July and August were the second driest in recorded history.

"We went from being a swamp to a desert in a week," Bryan said. "You can have two buckets and if one is full and the other is empty, then the average is half full. It doesn't work that way in farming."

Bryan said the flood-like spring harmed farming by suffocating crops which later were quickly dried up in the summer drought.

"Roots don't develop well like that," he said.

Bryan also said he didn't think loans -- low interest or not -- is the answer.

"Another loan is the last thing a farmer needs," he said. "More debt's not the answer. They're already in a low-profit business. They need higher prices on the commodities they can grow. That's the answer."

The local Farm Service Agency phone number is 243-1467.