Missouri opens hay, water programs for farmers amid drought

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - New state programs will allow Missouri farmers suffering from drought to hay and pump water from some state land.

Gov. Mike Parson on Monday announced that farmers will have access to water on 28 conservation areas and five state parks in northern and mid-Missouri. Up to 5,000 gallons of water can be pumped daily per farm.

The state on Monday also opened a lottery for haying on nearly 900 acres of Missouri State Parks land. Farmers can apply to hay grasslands now through Saturday. One farmer from each location will be issued a permit that runs from Aug. 27 through Nov. 27.

Missouri has had below-average rainfall since winter. The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows nearly all of Missouri is experiencing drought, with several northern and southwestern counties especially hard-hit.

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