The 2022 drought is affecting all corners of the state, especially Missouri’s farmlands.
The latest meeting of the state’s drought assessment committee was held on Sept. 16 in Jefferson City.
Jennifer Hoggatt, deputy director of the Missouri Geological Survey, says the takeaway from the meeting was “guarded optimism.”
She says, “We’ve had some, some good, well-timed rains and a little bit cooler temperatures over the last few weeks that have helped the drought there was getting pretty severe in southern Missouri.”
Hoggatt says increasing dryness in northern Missouri and southwestern Missouri is severe, extreme and stubborn.
She says the agency is closely watching drought conditions in agriculture. Hoggatt says Missouri farmers saw crop damage and losses earlier in the season, especially corn.
During Friday’s meeting, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, both Kansas City and St. Louis districts, reported that the low river levels on the Missouri River and the Mississippi are, concerning and could become problematic for moving the fall harvest.
Missouri’s drought information and resources can be found at the Missouri Department of Natural Recourse’s website.
