Media contact:
Misti Preston
Phone: (573) 751-8596
Misti.Preston@mda.mo.gov

For Immediate Release: October 2, 2006

Director of Agriculture Visits Southeast Missouri to Assess Storm Damage

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – On Friday, Sept. 29, Fred Ferrell, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, visited several locations in Southeast Missouri assessing the damage caused by the Sept. 22 storms in the area that affected crops including cotton, soybeans and rice. Ferrell met with farmers in the area to answer questions and look at the next steps to recovery from their agricultural losses.

“Upon a visit to a farm in Gideon, Mo., we found that part of the cotton crop was still under water and has been that way for seven days,” said Ferrell. “We are looking into what these farmers can do to try to recover from their losses and begin harvesting.”

Counties in Southeast Missouri received more than a foot of rain destroying an estimated 25 to 50 percent of the cotton crops in some areas and leading to widespread ground saturation and flooding. “One farmer estimated that up to 80% of his cotton plant was submerged right before his harvest began,” said Ferrell.

Ferrell visited the Joe Woolverton farm, near Gideon, where he met with approximately 50 farmers and representatives of Missouri’s congressional delegation. Ferrell also visited Mississippi County where he met with producers at MRM Ag Service, in East Prairie, to discuss the recent storm damage and toured a submerged soybean field belonging to the Bone family farm.

“The central message I heard from area farmers is that they’ve never seen anything like this,” said Ferrell. “I had the opportunity to listen to their concerns and view the damage firsthand. I will be relaying this information to Gov. Blunt to better expedite assistance for those who need it.”

On Sept. 26, Gov. Matt Blunt asked the Missouri Farm Service Agency to assess the damage for 14 Missouri counties faced with agricultural losses due to severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and related flooding. The damage reports are the first step to determine if the counties qualify to be declared natural disaster areas. The counties included Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Scott, Ripley and Stoddard.

Editor’s Note: To view photos of the storm damage and Ferrell’s trip, visit the MDA Photo Gallery.

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