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Iowa Ag Secretary tours flood-damaged farm land

By Katie Schubert

Omaha, NE – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says some farm fields in western Iowa won't ever be used again for production due to this summer's Missouri River flooding.

Northey toured flood-damaged farm land Monday in Harrison, Monona, and Woodbury Counties. He estimates more than 100,000 acres of farm land along the Missouri River were damaged by flood water. Northey says in some cases, farmers will be able to plant crops on that land next spring. "In other cases, where you have sand or you have holes, some of those are not going to get fixed by next year, in fact in some cases they may not get fixed at all."

Northey says some farm fields had 30-foot-deep holes because of flood water. In other areas, sand covers fields for several miles.

The Iowa Farm Bureau estimates farmers lost $207 million worth of crops in six counties due to Missouri River flooding.