Up to four-hundred farmers representing every county in the state will attend the annual Iowa Farm Bureau conference opening this morning at the organization’s headquarters in West Des Moines. Even though more than half of the state is a disaster area, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation president Craig Lang says most farmers endured the recent foul weather and flooding. Lang says “Farmers always feel better about too much rain than not enough and it hasn’t been that far back in our history we remember the drought years.” Of Iowa’s 99 counties, 58 have been declared federal disaster areas, while 65 are state disaster areas. Lang says the rain that drenched much of Iowa may be detested by outdoor sports enthusiasts but it’s very welcome to farmers. Lang says the rain came early and many farmers have done replanting and there’s much optimism for a good crop. He says crops that didn’t get washed out are doing very well, as about half the state is in the very good-to-excellent category. Lang admits, not everyone was praising the dark clouds.Some farmers who work the bottom ground along rivers are still flooded out. One Jefferson County farmer told Lang it’ll be two weeks before the Skunk River dries out to the extent he can replant, but Lang says the man was still optimistic he could get a good soybean crop in the ground. The Farm Bureau conference runs today and tomorrow. Besides the weather, other topics will range from health care to the federal Farm Bill.
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