<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579620136258.jpeg" alt="Flooding wreaked havoc on farmland along the Missouri River in 2019" />
 <figcaption>Flooding wreaked havoc on farmland along the Missouri River in 2019</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTINSt. Joseph PostNorthwest Missouri farmers are hoping for a better year in
2020.Dylan Rosier, who farms near Mound City, says flooding last
year didn’t affect his farm much, but had an overall negative impact on the
northwest Missouri farm economy.“It was just kind of a drag on the whole outlook for whole the
year. I mean, it was just hard to get around and the loss of property and the
destruction was just hard for people to deal with, I think,” Rosier tells St.
Joseph Post.Rosier says farmers are hoping for more of a normal year this
year, though worries about flooding persists, especially with so many Missouri
River levees still needing repair.A bright spot, according to Rosier, is resolving some trade
issues with passage of the Mexico-Canada agreement and reaching a partial trade
deal with China.“Obviously, we have yet to see the outcome of those yet, but
it definitely seems like we’re taking steps in the right direction,” Rosier
says.Rosier is a member of the District One Missouri Corn Board as
is Ryan Meyerkorth, who farms in the Rock Port area, near the Missouri River. Meyerkorth
says recovery is coming along slowly, on a piece by piece basis.“Because there is just so much devastation,” Meyerkorth tells
St. Joseph Post. “People are still out of their homes. People cannot access
their farms, because they’re still under water. But, at the same time, there
are recovery efforts happening with levees being repaired; a few roads starting
to be repaired, but that’s hopeful to be coming up in 2020 for us.”Meyerkorth says flooding took out half his farm last year. He
expects a quarter of it to remain out of production this year, due to the
uncertainty of flood protection with several levees still needing repairs.“So, we’re still going to have a quarter of the land on my
personal farm that we’re not going to be able to farm next year, just because
the levees aren’t even touched yet or being worked on,” Meyerkorth says. “So,
we’re seeing a step forward, but we’re not going to be back whole.”Meyerkorth says some prime Missouri River bottom ground might
be out of production permanently, because floodwaters left 10-to-12 feet of
sand on top of the land.Both Meyerkorth and Rosier say the entire northwest Missouri
region took a big hit from flooding, especially when floodwaters in southwest
Iowa forced the closing of Interstate 29 between St. Joseph and Omaha from
around mid-March to mid-June.Both say farmers remain optimistic, despite coming off a
difficult year.

Farmers hoping for brighter days after difficult 2019