Southeast Missouri farmers face drought conditions, raising per acre costs

As summer temperatures reach triple digits, Southeast Missouri farmers are coping with a lack of rain that some are already defining as a drought.

Gov. Mike Parson has already taken some steps to relieve drought conditions, allowing emergency access to water and hay for farmers.

Parson also issued an executive order declaring a drought alert for 60 Missouri counties. So far, no Southeast Missouri counties are included, but three area farmers agree current conditions constitute a drought.

Scott Sentell, 58, has been farming since he was 15. He currently rents out 200 acres in Qulin and Neelyville, Missouri.

"If we're not already in a drought, we're on the edge," Sentell said. "It's really dry, and it's going to start getting serious without irrigation."

He said "soybeans, corn and cotton will start to suffer" in the hot and dry conditions. "The moisture is getting thinner all the time."

Will Gillean, 42, a lifetime farmer with 500 acres from Rombauer to Broseley, Missouri, agrees the area is in a drought.

"We started at the end of March and didn't shut down for rain for one day," Gillean said.

"The winds have been mainly out of the north, which has made the weather cooler and drier," he said. "We need higher moisture from southerly winds. Less humidity takes moisture out of the air."

Ben Nobles, 39, has been farming for 16 years in Qulin. He farms 2,400 acres along with his father and uncle, and he concurs regarding drought conditions.

"Yes, we are in a drought," he said. "We are using more irrigation, which means using more diesel fuel and more electricity."

Irrigation has been the saving grace for area farmers this year, a technique that is made easier because of the advantages of native geography.

"We sit on one of the largest aquifers in the world," Gillean said. "Farmers are taking advantage of irrigation, but non-irrigated acres are at zero growth."

Sentell said "groundwater is high and easy to pump out," but irrigation doesn't solve the problems of a drought.

"Irrigation doesn't replace rain," he said. Sentell said groundwater is cold and cannot be spread everywhere, while rain is warmer and covers the entire area.

In addition, irrigation adds costs to crops with every gallon pumped.

"Pumping water takes energy," Gillean said. "Rain is free, and it is so much better to have rain.

"It makes the community millions of dollars every time it rains," he said. "If we're pumping water, it's costing us money."

Nobles agrees with this assessment. "Irrigation means more pumping costs for water, which adds to the cost per acre for our crops."

Sentell said, "This has been the most expensive year in agriculture in terms of fuel, seeds and fertilizer." Yearlong irrigation will add to those expenses.

Jason Morris, field specialist in agricultural business for the University of Missouri Extension office in Ripley County, said "the key driver for Southeast Missouri drought conditions is going to be the impacts of how El Nino affects traditional pop-up showers."

El Nino is the recurring phenomenon of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean, which often affects the weather patterns throughout the United States.

Forecasts from the National Weather Service forecast normal levels of rain for the region for July through September, but the proof is in the puddles — if they do precipitate.

Morris added that the MU Extension is available to help farmers, gardeners and anyone else concerned about the effects of drought.

"We offer research based educational programs to aid farmers through seminars, programs, outlooks and publications," Morris said.

The website for these resources is extension.missouri.edu/programs/drought-resources.

"Additionally, we work with both public and private partners to disseminate the most up-to-date information available to aid farmers in need," he said.