BCR_Ag Matters_122119

Ag Matters Winter 2019

• 2019 was a growing season for the ages....................2 • Farmer Veteran Coalition launched in Illinois............8 • Flooded-out farmers face growing dilemma............10

Shaw Media photo/Mike Vaughn

A publication of

2019 CROP YEAR

Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

| AG MATTERS

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Shaw Media photo/Mike Vaughn

A Bureau County farmer combines corn in mid-November as unfavorable weather pushed the 2019 harvest much later than normal.

A growing season for the ages After facing historically wet weather, trade wars and continued low prices, farmers endure an extended harvest

BY PAM EGGEMEIER AND GOLDIE RAPP Shaw Media Farmers were in the fields late into the autumn, scrambling to harvest crops after historically wet weather pushed back the planting schedules

for corn and soybeans.

After the deluge of rain this spring, more than 30 Illinois counties were declared state disaster areas by Gov. J.B. Pritzker because of flooding.

Then in August, the USDA declared all 102 Illinois counties agricultural

disaster areas.

In Illinois, 1.5 million acres went unplanted this year, 10 times what is expected in a year with more typical weather patterns, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

It ends with a long and stressful harvest season — with hampering snowfalls on Halloween and Veterans Day — as farmers hoped winter’s ice and snow would hold off long enough for late-planted crops to mature.

It was perhaps a fitting ending to one of the most challenging years

Illinois farmers have ever experienced.

Farmers are looked at by some as pawns in Washington’s trade wars, as they weigh the possible impact of tariffs and the resulting reduction in export opportunities. The nation’s ethanol industry is awaiting a final plan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it hopes will fix some of the damage done by biofuel waivers that have undermined the intentions of the Renewable Fuel Standard.

See GROWING SEASON, Page 3

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Continued from Page 2

A fight to plant and harvest Brian Sanden, a Bureau County corn and soybean farmer, said this year was much more difficult than the often-cited 2009 comp year. “In 2009, we got everything planted, and this year we didn’t,� he said.

See CROPS, Page 4

Shaw Media photo/Mike Vaughn

Farmers were still harvesting corn in late November and into December because of unfavorable weather conditions.

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AG MATTERS| Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

T h e n t h e s p r i n g we a t h e r unleashed its wrath while farmers were already trying to survive a multiyear down cycle for commodities prices. Many compared this weather year to 2009. “That year was unusual temperature-wise — the whole season was cool and even early corn was struggling,� said Emerson Nafziger, an agronomist and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois.

Some farmers also learned a harsh lesson that year about their choice of seeds. “There wasn’t enough warmth for crops to mature, and farmers who were using long-season hybrids were really hurt,� Nafziger said. “Many also got hammered on test weights in 2009, and then the snow drifts in early December made the harvest tough.�

Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

| AG MATTERS

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• CROPS Continued from Page 3 ‘It wasn’t a bad crop in 2009. It was just a fight to get it in and a fight to get it out. Whereas, this year, it’s been a fight to get it in and a fight to get it out and it’s a bad crop on top of that.”

The Sandens were only able to plant 80 percent of their acreage this year due to the wet spring conditions. Only 20 percent of that acreage was planted on time in April.

“If farmers in the Manlius area didn’t get something planted in the early parts of April, they didn’t get anything planted until June,” Sanden said.

A majority of his crops got planted way later in the season. From June 2 to 10, the Sandens hustled to get what they could planted.

Yields from this year’s crops were all across the board.

“I can’t name one thing we did right or wrong that affected the yield in any way, shape or form,” Sanden said. “We’ve picked early corn that was bad and late corn that was good. ...

There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind what a particular farm is doing.”

An early frost and snowfall in October, Sanden said, hurt crops planted later in the season that hadn’t yet matured.

“It’s one of those things where you were planting it in June, so you weren’t expecting much to begin with,” he said.

His biggest concern about early winter weather conditions was how it would impact fall field work.

“If we can’t get any fall field work done, that’s only going to trail into next year and start next

off on a bad foot,” he said.

Nafziger, who has been with the university for 40 years, pulled 1974 from his memory bank of difficult growing seasons.

1974 ‘one of the worst I can remember’ “That was one of the worst I can remember — there was a wet spring, dry summer and early frost — the triple whammy,” Nafziger said.

Yield estimates from the USDA have come down from expectations many farmers believed were far too high, helping to keep prices down.

USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Services is now looking for corn to be in the range of 181 to 179 bushels per acre for August, September and October. Soybean estimates are 55, 53 and 51 for that period.

The agency’s predicted corn total of 1.88 billion bushels in Illinois would represent a 17 percent decrease from last year, but given the unusual challenges, it could be worse.

“When all is said and done, I wouldn’t be surprised if yields come up from there, but if we hit those estimates, I think most people would be happy with what we got,” Nafziger said.

China pressures linger As farmers raced to salvage their crops, the Trump administration found itself on the clock to negotiate a trade deal with China. Trump is under pressure to bring some resolution to the situation before the 2020 election. The president’s dealmaking reputation had made farmers hopeful that the process would go quickly, but China has proved to be a formidable opponent at the negotiating table.

“This is taking longer than anticipated, but

I don’t think most farmers see themselves as pawns,” said Adam Nielsen, director of national legislation and policy development for the Illinois Farm Bureau. “I think they understand we were at a point where China needed to be challenged and that would mean some shortterm consequences.”

So far, tariff increases have been postponed, but the situation has helped to keep corn and soybean prices depressed, and the pause in shipments to China has forced U.S. farmers to find demand in other places.

There is a huge sense of urgency in Washington to move negotiations along with the election sneaking up on the administration, Nielsen believes.

“It’s reality check time in November 2020, and they are highly motivated to get progress in China,” Nielsen said. “I think we’ll see a lot happening in the next several months.”

From his perspective in the nation’s capital, he cites 2012 as a pivotal year for Illinois farmers.

“That growing season was a $4 billion to $5 billion disaster for Illinois,” Nielsen said. “That was when we discovered how important crop insurance was, if we didn’t already know it.”

Even after the end of the harvest season, farmers still feel the damage done by this year’s weather.

“There’s a long tail to this year — the way the fields will look after this harvest,” Nielsen said.

“Farmers will have to catch up and hope they can make the repairs before they lose their benefits.”

Illinois farmers last year set new state yield records of 210 bushels per acre for corn and 63 bushels for beans.

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ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU

Delegates seek federal governmental action on trade, fuel standards CHICAGO — Delegates and members attending the 105th Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) annual meeting finished a memorably challenging year with the introduction of new policy and the reassurance that the organization and its members remain an optimistic force that is “stronger together” — the theme of the 2019 meeting.

In addition to listening to keynote speaker Keni Thomas and receiving county and Young Leader awards, members also enjoyed a visit from Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Stephen Censky and set policy for the coming year.

“Illinois Farm Bureau had the honor and opportunity to host the deputy secretary during our delegate session,” said Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. “Mr. Censky’s comments to the

delegate body regarding trade agreements, the Renewable Fuel Standard and other important issues were certainly a highlight during yesterday’s proceedings.

“We were fortunate to be able to sit down with the deputy secretary for lunch with a small group of our leaders, in which our members and county Farm Bureau staff had an opportunity to ask their questions and talk about what’s most important to them.”

Censky applauded IFB members for their work with congressional leaders on the pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and reassured them that other issues of concern were being actively addressed by USDA. Two Sense of the Delegate Body resolutions were brought forth for debate by IFB delegates.

“2019’s two Sense of the Delegate Body resolutions capture the concern our delegates, farmers and members throughout the state still have in trying to make sure we still have the markets we need,” said Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities Mark Gebhards.

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“The first one dealt with the ratification of the USMCA and the importance of getting that done in a timely manner. The second one focused on the importance of addressing the Renewable Fuel Standard and the small refinery waiver issue, which has depleted our markets and reduced ethanol demand.”

Both Sense of the Delegate Body resolutions summarized the need to see action from the administration and from the U.S. Congress to resolve these issues sooner than later.

Delegates also discussed new policy surrounding global climate change.

“Illinois Farm Bureau will be a part of discussions on the issue of climate change. Illinois agriculture currently engages in efforts that seek to maximize sustainability, and we look forward to taking further part in the solution to this issue,” said Gebhards.

“I’m always an advocate to be inside the room and to be part of the conversations pertaining to climate change. The inclusion of this policy puts parameters around how we engage in these conversations.

Those parameters should include science-based research and economic analysis, not cultural consensus, when we determine the causes and impacts of global climate change.”

Voting delegates for the meeting, totaling 339, also debated and decided on policy surrounding pesticide application, education and recordkeeping.

In summary, IFB supports state agencies accounting for the following factors when making changes to pesticide labels: • The economic value of being regulated, and the economic cost of alternative; • Geographical differences throughout the state; and • Science-based evidence of the need for, and results of regulations.

“Pesticide regulation is an area that has had a lot of attention in the state of Illinois in the past two years,” said Gebhards. “This policy addresses three points state regulators and agencies should consider, if adding additional regulations to what the product label might say. It serves to guide conversations with state regulators.”

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AG MATTERS| Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

Farm group members set policies at meeting

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Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

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SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED

Planting seeds of support for disabled veterans Wyffels Hybrids rolls out Serving Those Who Served initiative

BY JEANNINE OTTO Shaw Media

Note to readers: Jeannine Otto writes for the Illinois AgriNews, where this story originally appeared.

Farmers who want to support the nation’s military veterans, especially those injured after 9/11, now have the opportunity to do that with the seeds they plant.

“We feel like this kind of a program helps to restore some of that independence to these veterans who lost some of their own independence just by their service to our country,” said Tim Birkel, director of marketing for Wyffels Hybrids.

Wyffels Hybrids rolled out its Serving Those Who Served initiative earlier this year at dealer meetings and then at the 2019 Farm Progress Show in Decatur.

The program offers farmers the

opportunity to help build homes for disabled veterans through Homes For Our Troops, a 501(c)(3) organization that builds specially-adapted homes for military veterans who were injured during their tour of duty in the Iraq or Afghanistan theaters after 9/11.

Homes with more than 40 special adaptations are built at no cost to the veterans. To be eligible to receive a home, veterans must be approved for Specially Adapted Housing benefits under the Veterans Administration.

For every bag of W5086RIB sold, Wyffels Hybrids will donate $2 to Home For Our Troops. People can also help by purchasing a Serving Those Who Served hat or T-shirt.

Homes For Our Troops has completed 285 specially-adapted homes in 42 states. The organization was founded by a general contractor in Massachusetts, who offered to build a specially adapted home for a Massachusetts National Guard soldier who had been wounded during his tour of duty in Iraq. That soldier agreed on the condition that the contractor would build homes for other injured veterans.

Photo contributed

Serving Those Who Served is a new program by Wyffels Hybrids benefiting Homes For Our Troops.

Birkel said Wyffels Hybrids wanted to give back to others.

“As what we believe to be a service-based organization, we started 74 years ago with a mission of serving the American farmer. We’ve experienced a lot of growth over the last six years, six straight years of consecutive growth, and we were looking for an opportunity to give back,” he said.

Birkel said the program will donate proceeds from sales of each bag of selected seed varieties toward the construction of two HFOT houses, one in Minnesota and one in Wis-

consin. HFOT has built three specially-adapted homes for veterans in Illinois and four in Indiana.

“We are launching 14 new hybrids this year, and W-5086 is one from which we will be donating some of the proceeds to Homes For Our Troops,” he said.

Birkel said W-5086 was selected to allow as many farmers as possible to participate and donate. Two dollars from each bag will go to HFOT. “It’s a 107-day double pro, which means that it covers a pretty wide swath in our geography. The idea is to try to get a hybrid that can cover as much geography to allow as many farmers as possible to participate in the program,” he said.

With the rollout of Serving Those Who Served fairly new, Birkel said he is pleased and surprised at the response from farmers already.

“I have been so impressed with the response. It’s a tremendous outpouring of support for the program, lots of excellent positive feedback on how excited people are that we are doing something like this and how much support there is in this country for our veterans,” he said.

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AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

$10 million grant helps to finance university research on ‘roadside weed’ that could become a new crop

BY JEANNINE OTTO Shaw Media

Note to readers: Jeannine Otto writes for the Illinois AgriNews, where this story originally appeared.

Win Phippen knows he has to get it right the very first time.

“In working with new crops, you get one shot with producers,” said Phippen, professor of plant breeding and genetics at the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture in Macomb.

Phippen recently received a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use on his work researching and refining the seed genetics of pennycress.

Pennycress is a winter annual that is more recognizable to farmers as a roadside weed.

Photo contributed

A field of pennycress is ready to harvest.

The oilseed crop is a winter annual that can be sown right after corn is harvested and then harvested the next spring.

But the seed of the plant, resembling a penny in its seedpod, holds promise as both an oilseed crop to use for biodiesel feedstock and as a cover crop.

Phippen is working with CoverCress Inc., a St. Louis-based company started by retired corn and soybean plant breeders, to get the pennycress genetics to the stage where the seed can be marketed to farmers as an option in a conventional row crop rotation.

“We want to make sure we have the best varieties so we are breeding the best lines. We’ve identified the key traits we need in pennycress lines,” Phippen said.

Phippen’s pennycress project includes research partners at other universities throughout the Midwest, including Illinois State University, the Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin at Platteville and the University of Minnesota.

The project’s territory covers from North Dakota to St. Louis.

The goal of the program is to work toward commercializing the crop within five years.

“It’s developing the protocols, working with corn growers, perhaps there are herbicide programs that are currently being used on corn that have a negative impact on pennycress. We need to be thinking what varieties of corn the pennycress is following, what herbicide programs are being used prior to planting the pennycress to make sure we get a consistent stand establishment in that corn, going through to soybean planting in the spring,” Phippen said.

One of the other major goals of the program is to have not just the seed right but also all the information available to producers so they can succeed. That has to be done even before major field trials can take place.

“We want to make sure the production protocols get written correctly, that we can make recommendations for fertilizer, how to prep the ground correctly, how to deal with issues that may pop up during the growing season, insects or diseases that may come along,” Phippen said.

Illinois State University and the University of Minnesota are looking at the benefits of pennycress as a cover crop.

“They are doing what we call ecoservices. What else does this plant give you, other than seed for cash?

Does it help your soils? Does it help the insect populations? Does it help with diseases?” Phippen said.

Pennycress, because it blooms early in the spring, is one of the first plants for pollinators. In addition, the plant scavenges nitrogen, and since only the seed is harvested, the rest of the plant is left as organic matter.

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AG MATTERS| Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

WIU professor continues study of pennycress

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Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

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ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU

Group supports Farmer Veteran Coalition

It will encourage more veterans to get involved in U.S. food production BLOOMINGTON — Military veterans across the state who wish to pursue a career in food, farming and agriculture have new opportunities to advance their careers through the establishment of a statewide coalition.

The Farmer Veteran Coalition of Illinois is the 10th chapter of a national organization that cultivates a new generation of farmers and food leaders and develops viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities.

Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) is celebrating the opportunities and resources it will bring to those who have served the United States.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Illinois. It has been over five years of hard work from individuals and organizations across the state,” said Raghela Scavuzzo, associate

director of Food Systems Development, IFB. “This is a huge opportunity to help veterans, agriculture and rural communities.”

A press conference was held to formally launch the program on Dec. 7 at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago during the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.

“The Farmer Veteran Coalition provides a sense of community for the men and women who served in the military,” said Farmer Veteran Coalition President Gary Matteson, vice president of Farm Credit Council.

“We are the largest nationally based farmer veteran coalition. It is important to join and be a part of the network.”

The inauguration of the Illinois Farmer Veteran Coalition is an important addition to Illinois Farm Bureau’s collaborative efforts to serve military veterans desiring to pursue food, farming and agricultural careers.

In 2015, Illinois Farm Bureau partnered with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and other agencies across the state to launch the Home-

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grown By Heroes program. Homegrown By Heroes provides resources in a number of areas, including: • Farmer training.

• Farmers’ markets opportunities and partnerships.

• Assisting veterans in developing value-added products.

• Fostering relationships with retailers and food service organizations.

• Making resources available for veterans wishing to raise livestock and commodity crops.

• Developing mentorships between experienced farmers and veterans.

• Identifying community land access.

The 2019 Farmer Veteran Coalition of Illinois Board of Directors and Advisory Board is made up of individuals across organizations who are working together to provide resources and guidance to military veterans entering the farming profession.

Directors and advisers are as follows: • Caynan Sherwood: president.

• Amy Hess: vice president.

• Raghela Scavuzzo: secretary (organizational seat: Illinois Farm Bureau).

• Beth Bolger: treasurer (organizational seat: Farm Credit Illinois).

• Kelly Gagnon: communication (organizational seat: AgrAbility).

• Karen Zelko (organizational seat: Compeer Financial).

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• Donna Lehrer (individual board seat).

• Jess Ray (Advisory Board member: Illinois State University).

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ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU

CHICAGO — The annual Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting member survey reflected three overwhelming themes: Farmers have less optimism for 2020; there is a profound need to regain lost export demand; and building new global markets is vital for the future. “In 2019, farmers were challenged with historic flooding, delayed planting and harvesting, ongoing trade wars and demand destruction to the biofuels market, all of which were key factors in contributing to a sluggish farm economy and continued uncertainty for our Illinois farmers,� said Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. Additional key priorities for members included pushing for USMCA ratification, expanding investment in modern waterway infrastructure on the Illinois and Mississippi riv-

ers and defending the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Uncertainty and lack of optimism in 2020 were reflected in the following members comments: • Holding off on the purchases of new and improved equipment, upgrades and replacements. • Uncertainty regarding how long producers can manage at or below break-even income levels. • Restructuring debt and not being as concerned with growth and development as “trying to make it to next year.â€? • Less income, more instability and more risk. • Expenses high whereas income has not kept up.

Over half of farmer respondents indicated that it was likely that their farm would continue to be farmed by the next generation of their family after their retirement. “This is the ninth consecutive year we’ve surveyed members to gauge their feelings on key farming issues and concerns,� Guebert said. “It helps us as leaders ensure we’re tackling the issues and needs of our members and prioritizing

our resources to the best of our abilities.�

The annual Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting member survey results provided insight into their suggested organizational priorities.

The survey, sent to all members who provided their email address to the organization, received more than 2,700 responses.

The Illinois Farm Bureau is a

member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers.

Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 386,291 and a voting membership of 79,159.

IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.

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AG MATTERS| Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

Farm economy continues to concern farmers

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AGRICULTURE & CLIMATE CHANGE

Flooded-out farmers face a growing dilemma ‘We kind of feel like it’s the new normal,’ one farmer says

BY TAMMY WEBBER AND JOSH FUNK Associated Press CRESCENT, Iowa (AP) — Frogs, carp and bugs thrived all summer in murky floodwaters where Gene Walter should have planted corn and soybeans. Last year’s ruined crop spilled from metal storage bins that burst nine months ago when the Missouri River surged through two levees near his southwest Iowa farm.

Like many in the water-weary Midwest, Walter doesn’t know whether climate chang e was responsible for the second major flood in nine years. Or the increasingly frequent torrential rains that dump more water in an hour than he used to see in days.

Even so, “we kind of feel like it’s the new normal,” said Walter, who lost 46,000 bushels of corn and soy-

beans. “You can’t rely on anything.

You can’t build anything. You can’t do future planning. ... The uncertainty is the thing that is really bad.”

This year’s devastating losses are forcing tough decisions about the future of farming in America’s flood plains, even among those skeptical of climate change and humans’ role in it.

Farmers who lost billions of dollars in grain, livestock, equipment, structures and unplanted crops are wondering whether they should — or can — return to the fertile bottomlands next year.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must determine how many damaged levees can be rebuilt but says it won’t be all of them. More than 50 levees were breached on the Missouri River alone, taking thousands of acres out of production.

And with the ground still soggy heading into winter, experts say the stage is set for more flooding next spring.

“A lot of this ground won’t be put back into production,” said Brett Adams, a Peru, Neb., farmer who saw 2,000 acres — 80 percent of his

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“I’ve seen it firsthand up and down the river — land is so tore up from flooding that some of it is completely ruined.”

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land — submerged in up to 12 feet of water. “I’ve seen it firsthand up and down the river — land is so tore up from flooding that some of it is completely ruined.”

Adams lost over 100,000 bushels of corn and a half million dollars in potential income after six storage bins burst. But he bristles when people ask why he farms in an area that could flood.

“Because it never flooded before,” Adams tells them, noting that a levee built in 1950 kept his farm dry during major floods in 1993 and 2011.

It’s very difficult to directly tie this year’s flooding — or any single weather event — to climate change.

But the flooding comes as “we’re seeing big rain and even bigger snows that are consistent with what we will see in a warming world,” because a warmer atmosphere delivers more water to storm systems, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate monitoring chief Deke Arndt.

The number of heavy rain events has increased throughout much of the U.S., including the Midwest, where the days with at least one inch of rain averaged 13 percent higher from 2009 to 2018 than the long-term average dating to 1950, according to NOAA. In Missouri, the number of annual 4-inch or greater rainfalls was 58 percent higher than the long-term average. In Iowa, the increase was 31 percent and in Nebraska it was 23 percent.

There also will be more severe droughts, experts say, while rains will be more intense, with more water falling in a shorter period.

What’s more, the greatest increase in rainfall is occurring in the fall, when farmers are trying to harvest.

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AG MATTERS| Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

Farming is more than your business,

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Bureau County Republican / bcrnews.com • Saturday, December 21, 2019

| AG MATTERS

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ILLINOIS FARM BUREAU

Young Leader group includes Bureau County woman Gracelynn Dale leads education, recruitment CHICAGO — The Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) Young Leader Committee elected its 2020 executive committee members during the IFB annual meeting Dec. 7-10.

The executive committee members, which include Chairman Drew

• DILEMMA Continued from Page 10 The unpredictability “ends up being really bad news for farms,” said Jeffrey S. Dukes, an ecologist who directs the Climate Change Research Center at Purdue University.

•••

Heavy rains and flooding kept farmers from their fields in more than a dozen states this year, the wettest on record through October in the contiguous U.S., and breached levees along major waterways that included the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers.

DeSutter of Knox County, Vice-Chairman Wayne Gehrke of Kane County, Secretary Jenny Jackson of Morgan County, Education and Recruitment SubcomGracelynn mittee Chairwoman Dale Gracelynn Dale of Bureau County, Achievement Sub-

committee Chairwoman Victoria Vogt of Monroe County and Governmental Affair and Commodities Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Mitchell of Winnebago County, will assume their positions immediately.

Members of the IFB Young Leaders are 18- to 35-year-old men and women who are passionate about agriculture.

It is a member-created, member-driven program of the IFB that allows mem-

bers to promote agriculture, attend conferences and compete in events, including the Young Leader Achievement Award, Excellence in Agriculture Award and discussion meets.

Giving back is also a priority for Young Leaders. Through their Harvest for All program, Young Leaders raise funds, donate food and contribute their time to help fight food insecurity throughout the state.

On the Missouri, the disaster unfolded after a blizzard was followed by heavy rain that fell on the snow and frozen ground. Most of the runoff came from tributaries without levees or dams, so the Army Corps had no way to slow the surge and little time to warn farmers.

“It just completely overwhelmed the levees downstream,” said Matthew Krajewski, chief of the readiness branch in the Corps’ Omaha District.

Experts say heavy rain in 2018 set the stage for the floods because the soil was saturated as winter started.

Now the situation is worse than this time last year because heavy

rain fell all summer and into the fall, preventing the soil from drying out, said Kevin Low, a hydrologist at the Missouri Basin River Forecast Center.

“The setup is extremely bad,” he said, noting most levees have not been repaired. “There is nothing we can do but watch and wait.”

Some areas along the Missouri were above flood stage more than 270 consecutive days, according to hydrologist David Pearson at the National Weather Service’s Missouri Basin River Forecast Center.

Julius Schaaf believes it’s the Army Corps’ job to protect farmland like his, though he concedes there is

a legitimate question whether farmers should remove structures from flood plains.

“The levees and dams ... kind of gave us a false sense of security,” said Schaaf, whose farms near Randolph, Iowa, were flooded this year.

“We went ahead and made an investment because the government said, ‘We’ve got this river tamed and you folks are good.’”

But the Corps says its priority is to protect people and infrastructure such as highways, railroads and towns — not agricultural land.

The agency is conducting cost-benefit assessments to determine which levees can and should be rebuilt.

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