Recovery Underway: Southwest Iowa farmers forge ahead after flooding

RECOVERY UNDERWAY

BY BETHANY BARATTA

PHOTOS BY JOSEPH L. MURPHY

SOUTHWEST IOWA FARMERS FORGE AHEAD AFTER FLOODING

Nearly four months after floodwaters inundated Michael Stenzel’s shop and last year’s crop sitting in grain bins, major questions regarding the future of the farm loom.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do,” Stenzel says, stepping around piles of rotting soybeans once destined for a premium seed market.

This is all we got. This is my life. What else am I going to do?

Michael farms with his dad, Mike, an Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) member. They were able to plant 1,000 acres of ground that was unscathed by the floodwaters. It remains to be seen, however, what happens to the 3,200 acres under water and the 140,000 bushels of corn and 50,000 bushels of soybeans, which had been stored in grain bins when the Missouri River burst its banks, inundating Hamburg.

A recent visit to the family’s shop and grain storage location revealed piles of steel separated from piles of grain. The Stenzels had separated the two in hopes of salvaging something. The shop had been cleared out before the floodwaters hit but was now further stripped as they pondered their next steps. Rebuild? Move the shop or grain storage to higher ground? Those decisions haven't yet been made. Many others also have decisions to make — about their grain and the future of farming in southwest Iowa.

Fixing the levees

One of the first steps in flood recovery is fixing the levees, says Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

“Everything starts with repairing those levees. Whether you’re talking about land recovery and restoration, getting a crop in this year — or even next year — or an agribusiness getting back up and running, it all starts with having confidence that you’re protected from the river,” Naig says.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified 110 individual breaches in the Missouri River Basin. About half of those were in Iowa, Nebraska and northwest Missouri, says Bret Budd, chief of the Omaha Systems Restoration Team for the U.S. Army Corps’ Omaha District.

“The damage on the Missouri River levee is really pretty immense,” Budd says. “We’ve got the actual breaches, and we’ve got a lot of areas that have loss of critical sections. Basically, one-third of the levee section is gone.”

On a visit to the Benton/Washington levee, part of a 42-mile stretch that runs just south of Thurman to the Missouri state line, a construction crew was using a system of large excavation equipment, tile and pipes to filter out sand from water. This dredging allowed the contracted team to use the sand to help build up the levee. But weeks later, a heavy rain event caused the water level to rise again, essentially washing out the work that had already been done. That’s been the tricky part of the recovery effort, Budd says, dealing with a damaged levee with water still flowing into the Missouri River Basin and unpredictable weather.

Stopping the water is the first step to recovery, says Sidney farmer and ISA Director Jeff Jorgenson.

“When we shut off the spigot, things will change,” Jorgenson says. About 25 percent of his acres were located in the flooded area. He was able to move stored grain to higher ground before floodwaters reached his bins.

Decisions on fixing the levees will be made on a case-by-case basis, Budd says.

“There are huge holes we’re trying to fill to stop the water from passing through the breach of the levee. We’ll take a look at each breach and determine if it makes sense to build a levee section behind where the breach was or if it makes more sense to repair the breach where it’s located,” Budd says.

Those decisions will be made when the water recedes, and the Corps is able to inspect the levee.

Damage ‘astronomical’

The river crested at 30.1 feet at Nebraska City, nearly two feet above the record set in 2011.

Pat Sheldon, president of the Benton/ Washington Levee District, the group that oversees maintenance for the levee, says it’ll take an estimated $8 to $10 billion to repair all 100-plus breaches caused by the flooding in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. That estimate doesn’t include damages to county roads, railroads or private property.

“The damage from this flood is going to be astronomical. Getting this back to pre-flood conditions could be a two- to three-year process,” Sheldon says.

The Benton/Washington levee breach, one of four main breaches, affected some of Sheldon’s acres seven miles away near Percival. It remains to be seen, however, how much damage and debris it left in his fields. Like Jorgenson’s acres, Sheldon’s were still under water.

“It will take thousands of dollars to get farms back into production because of the erosion and the channels of water running through them,” Jorgenson says.

Flood water from the Missouri River covers the north and south lanes of Interstate 29 near Percival.

Coordinated approach

Farmers in Fremont County say there’s a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to flood and disaster relief compared to the most recent flooding event in 2011. Largely, they say, because the 2019 flooding covered a much larger area.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed a flood recovery advisory board that includes famers and various representatives presenting ideas on recovery efforts as they relate to finance, economic development, workforce and housing, agriculture, river management, and infrastructure and public health. Jorgenson and Stenzel serve on Naig’s agriculture working group; Sheldon is a member of the river management and infrastructure working group.

“We’ve really broken our (ag working group) work down into three areas: land recovery, issues surrounding damaged grain and grain bins, and business continuity for farmers,” Naig says. Much of the direction for the working group comes from farmers who are acutely aware of the situation, he says.

“They know these issues very well, so we’re hoping to give them a voice in this process and address their concerns. But mostly, we want to use the solutions they bring to the table,” Naig says. There’s been a multi-state approach to flood recovery with governors in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa talking about new approaches to prevent flood damage. This includes discussion about river management, infrastructure connectivity and funding between the states.

Help on the way

The U.S. Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) estimates that 1.9 million bushels of corn and 482,000 bushels of soybeans were lost in Fremont, Mills and Pottawattamie counties as a result of the March flooding. The grain was valued at $10.9 million, according to IDALS. An estimated 418 grain bins were damaged, valued at $11.6 million, IDALS says.

The House and Senate passed a $19.1 billion federal disaster aid bill June 3. The federal disaster aid package includes funding to cover producers’ agricultural losses due to natural disasters, rural watershed recovery, for repairs to damaged farm land and for towns affected by natural disasters.

Naig says the federal funding will address the needs of Iowa farmers who suffered “staggering” losses during the spring flooding.

Long road to recovery

The federal disaster aid package could provide more direction for Stenzel, a fourth-generation farmer, as he thinks about the future of his family’s farm. Before President Donald Trump signed the disaster relief and recovery bill, Stenzel figured his options were both drastic and limited.

“I’ve got to decide here within the next six months what I’m going to do,” he says. “My dad’s 72, he can’t start over. So, maybe Dad slows down, and I pick up a few acres and get rid of some of our highrisk ground. Maybe I quit completely and sell out, but I don’t know what I would do for a job. The last scenario is to start over and start rebuilding.”

The farm is his lifeline, he says. “This is all we got. This is my life. What else am I going to do?”

Contact Bethany Baratta at bbaratta@iasoybeans.com.