Flooding Latest Test For Farmers, Government Officials

(KNSI) – State and federal officials say the Minnesota River is cresting, and the Mississippi River near St. Paul will reach its highwater mark this weekend.

That is allowing them to move into evaluating the scope of flood damages. Both ends of the state have been hit, and an application for federal disaster relief is pending. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy tells KNSI News that the state was well prepared from a financial standpoint.

“Minnesota is unique in that we have a disaster relief account. We put that in after the Duluth floods back in 2012. That is well funded right now with about $28 million, with another $50 million due early in August when we’re in the new fiscal year. And between that and the federal funding we hope to obtain, we may not need to have a special session.”

Murphy was in St. Cloud on Thursday. Governor Tim Walz has already told lawmakers to be ready if a special session becomes necessary.

The flooding in southern Minnesota is the latest in a string of difficulties for the state’s farmers. Senator Aric Putnam chairs the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development Committee. He has been talking to crop growers as they’ve tried to manage drought the past several years and now washed-out fields. He says farmers have incredible resilience that he expects will win out again in the coming months.

“The one thing that’s most important to agriculture is the one thing over which they have absolutely no control, and that’s the weather.”

Flooding affects all farmers. Putnam says dairies are closely monitoring this year’s corn crop since it becomes feed and silage for herds during the winter.

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