The devastating effects of the Arkansas River's rising floodwaters six months ago have left long-lasting problems for farmers. Flooding combined with excessive moisture caused statewide financial setbacks as farmers look for solutions to recover. The UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension stated: "Statewide, adverse weather events affecting agriculture in 2019 are estimated to result in a decline in the total value of production (output) by approximately $347 million. This decline in economic activity is estimated to result in a reduction in value added to the state economy of approximately $142 million. $75 million of this decline is a loss of labor income (employee and proprietor income) by state residents. Over time, it is estimated that 1,150 jobs would be lost as a result of this decline in economic activity. According to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture, the wet climate prevented Arkansas farmers from planting planting 327,732 acres of corn, 38,348 acres of cotton, 511,792 acres of rice, and 187,888 acres of wheat. Robert Stobaugh's rice and corn yields were not immune to the historic flooding. "I think that the folks at home need to realize it's a fragile situation," Stobaugh said. The Conway County farmer has been in the unpredictable agriculture business since he was 7-years-old. He tends to 6,000 acres of wheat, rice, corn and soybeans. For the past couple years, the wet weather has proven problematic for crop production. Although, the state agriculture departments reports 2019 yields were close to the 5-year average. "The conduit that drains our property all year long was the conduit that allowed the Arkansas River to backup into this area and fill it full during the flood," Stobaugh said. Financial assistance through disaster relief programs is offered to impacted farmers. Stobaugh is taking advantage of crop insurance. But he stressed not enough money is funneling in to make a full recovery based on the losses he's experienced over the past two years. "We've had to utilize our crop insurance to a large extent this year but none of those things that I've talked about -- they don't fill the bucket. They put some water in the bucket but they don't fill the bucket," Stobaugh said. Despite the dire situation experienced by farmers, Stobaugh is keeping hopeful for greater crop production in 2020. He wishing Mother Nature could play along in favor of the agriculture community. State officials fear the decline in farming's economic value could lead to a loss of more than 1,100 jobs. Source - https://katv.com