DES MOINES, Iowa — It's been over three weeks since the derecho hit Iowa, and insurance adjusters are still assessing the damage done to farmland.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig sat down Wednesday morning to discuss options that Iowa farmers have to try to get back on their feet.
"Unfortunately we, we don't have a hard and fast number that would tell us how many acres have been released to be to be destroyed. That process is really working out right now," Naig said.
Naig said about 96% of Iowa is now in a drought classification, that's a level that Iowa hasn't seen since September 2013.
Many farmers are trying to decide how they will tend to their fields this fall and into next spring. Cover crops is one option that Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Agronomist Mark Licht.
"We're gonna have to change how we maybe have done it in the past, but using cover crops, it's still a great option. It's still a viable option, and we can still get many of those benefits from using cover crops," Licht said.
Utilizing tillage and cover crops should help farmers recover their land for the next season.
There are several resources for Iowa farmers to utilize during these difficult times. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has a list here and ISU has a list here.
The United States Department of Agriculture also has a list of resources here.
Listen to the full conversation below:
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