Its’ coming. And for now, farmers are playing the “sit and wait” game to see just how bad it’s going to be. We’ve all heard the news reports about people evacuating Hamburg, Iowa, and seen workers frantically filling sand bags, the endangered fish, and the reports about levy capacity. We even know what USDA is telling consumers to help them prepare for a flooding emergency and what to do after flooding.

But what about the farmers? (Don’t get me wrong – it would be horrible to have to leave your home and sift through your most beloved belongings and pack what will fit into the back of a truck. My heart goes out to those folks.)

We drove to Nebraska City this week where the road is already down to one lane, and the water is encroaching upon a large elevator’s fertilizer business that sits on the river bank. The utility company also sits about 50 yards up the bank from the elevator and I wonder, when will the waters reach that level?

Farmers have spent so much time planting and it might be a complete loss. Records and photographs (possibly dating back three years) are going to be imperative for crop insurance claims, but what is the long-term impact on that farm ground? Will it ever recover for crop production?

I just wonder, as news reports highlight the BENEFITS of the flood for the endangered pallid sturgeon, did the potential impact on agriculture even cross their mind?

I’ll keep following this story.

Until we walk again …