Gov. Mike Parson has signed an executive order putting 47 Missouri counties on drought alert. The move calls upon the state Department of Natural Resources to activate the Drought Assessment Committee and the associated drought impact teams. The order directs all Missouri agencies to examine how the state can assist affected communities and identify communities that could be affected.
“Missouri farmers are resilient, but with no control over Mother Nature, this year’s drought has been difficult to battle,” Parson says in a press release. “By responding early to this drought, we can greatly reduce the impact upon our agricultural community as well as on all Missouri citizens. Our farmers are the backbone of our state, and it is imperative that we assist to get through this difficult time.”
According to the press release, there are several known drought impacts at this time, including those to livestock forage and water. There are also at least three public water supplies impacted in northern Missouri.
Of the 47 counties on the order, 32 are in northern Missouri. All of the counties include: Adair, Andrew, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Boone, Buchanan, Caldwell, Callaway, Carroll, Chariton, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Dade, Daviess, DeKalb, Gentry, Grundy, Harrison, Howard, Jackson, Jasper, Knox, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lewis, Linn, Livingston, Macon, McDonald, Mercer, Moniteau, Monroe, Newton, Nodaway, Platte, Putnam, Randolph, Ray, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Sullivan, and Worth.
In June, to aid the agricultural community, the Department of Natural Resources’ Soil and Water Districts Commission granted a statewide variance that allows grazing on practices that would normally be livestock-excluded.
For more information on the Missouri Drought Plan, the Drought Assessment Committee, Executive Order 18-05, and the Drought Monitor map, click here.
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