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JASPER COUNTY, Iowa —
Early estimates indicate that 10 million acres of farmland was flatted Monday during the derecho, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Reynolds said during her Tuesday news conference that the state estimates at least one third of Iowa crops sustained damage during the severe storms.
The devastation comes as a second blow to Iowa farmers already dealing with a trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jasper County farmer Brian Rumbaugh said Monday’s storm flattened most of his 450 acres of corn, destroying what he said would have been a good crop.
Rumbaugh said he has never seen a natural disaster comparable to the derecho in his 50 years of farming.
“This is the worst one I've ever had,” he said. “We had tornadoes go through a while back, tornadoes 300-400 feet wide, (but) this was everything.”
Rumbaugh said his crop insurance will likely make up for some of the losses, though other farmers may not be as lucky.
“It's probably 30-40 years I've had it, and thank God,” he said. “That's what you have insurance for is a failsafe, but I've never collected a dime … which is good. Now they owe me.”
State officials said farmers may be eligible for federal assistance as the state continues to assess storm damage
“A part of that federal assistance could be a Small Business Administration declaration or a U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designation, which provides resources for impacted farmers,” said Joyce Flinn, with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Despite 2020’s misfortunes, Rumbaugh said he has been farming long enough to know that, eventually, things will get better.
“It is what it is,” he said. “You live long enough to learn it's not always cherries.”
Reynolds said the state’s 10-million-acre damage estimate could change as damage surveying continues.
The governor plans to do a flyover of Iowa cropland in the coming days to survey the damage.
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