Agriculture

Pike, Lincoln and St. Charles Counties in Missouri are a rich, agricultural producing region. The floodplain farm acres are used mostly for crops with some livestock operations. More than half of the total damages from the Flood of 1993 were to the agricultural sector and include damages to crops, livestock, fields, farms, buildings and equipment. Millions of acres of farmland are impacted when flooding occurs on the Mississippi and its tributaries. The majority is unprotected or is within one of the several levee districts. Construction of levees within these districts is funded and therefore controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The largest district, the consolidated North County Levee District, is located in the Eastern Section of St. Charles County.

A number of farms designated strictly for water fowl habitat also exist. These farms or duck clubs are located on the Mississippi River and are owned by either individuals or groups to provide good duck and goose hunting. The land is planted in crops that will attract water fowl and are leveed to provide flooded areas where migrating birds might land.

In St. Charles County alone Missouri Department of Agriculture statistical data revealed the economic impact of the 1993 flood had on the agricultural sector. In 1992 corn was harvested on a sales value of $15,005,000. Soybeans were harvested on 58,000 acres with an average yield of 41.3 bu/A (state average (38 bu/acre) and a total sales value of $13,292,000. By contrast, 1993 statistics, corn harvested totaled 16,300 acres with a sales value of $4,446,000. Soybeans were harvested on 13,200 acres with a sales value of $3,435,000. The difference in acres harvested due to the flood are 76,000 and the difference in sales is, $20,416,000.