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Sac River Basin - Agriculture
Farms
| How can farmers keep local rivers clean? |
Fertilizer Use
Farms
Most of the land in the Sac River Basin is used for cattle grazing (beef and dairy cows). Hay is also grown in the
Sac River Basin. The area is one of the most productive in
Missouri for hay and cattle production. Grain was grown
in the 1930’s, before hay production for grazing.
Small
portions of Christian, Hickory, Vernon, and Barton counties are located in the
Sac River Basin, therefore they are not included in this agriculture
statistics section. When viewing these statistics, keep in mind that about 25% of St.
Clair and Lawrence counties, 50% of Polk and Greene counties, and nearly 100% of Dade and
Cedar counties are located in the Sac River
Basin.
Statistics found in the tables of this section are from the “Missouri Farm
Facts” website located at http://agebb.missouri.edu/mass/farmfact/.
Dade County:
In 2002, Dade County was ranked eighth in Missouri for sorghum production. Of all the counties in the
Sac River Basin, Dade County produces the most hogs and pigs, winter wheat, and
sorghum. Dade County also used the most fertilizer out of counties in the
Sac River Basin in 1998. In 1997, there were 808 farms in Dade County, MO, totaling 249,096 acres. The average farm size was 308 acres, and each acre
was worth on average $903.
Cedar County
Compared to other counties within the Sac
River Basin, Cedar County has the lowest livestock and crop production. In 1997,
Cedar County contained 865 farms, totaling 203,685 acres. This
is the smallest farmland acreage out of counties in the
Sac River Basin. The
average farm size in 1997 was 235 acres, and each acre was worth on average $890.
Polk
County:
In 2002, Polk County was ranked second in
Missouri for beef cattle production and fifth in Missouri for dairy cow production.
Polk County was also the number one producer of hay in
Missouri in 2002. In 1997, there were 1,575 farms in
Polk County, totaling 347,688 acres. The average farm size
was 221 acres, and each acre was worth on average $1,221.
Greene County
The primary type of agriculture in Greene
County is hay production. In 2002,
Greene County was ranked third in
Missouri for hay production and seventh in Missouri for beef and cattle production. In 1997,
Greene County consisted of 1,997 farms and
277,043 acres of farmland. The average farm
size was 139 acres, and the cost of land averaged $ 2,206 per acre.
St. Clair County
Of all counties within the Sac
River Basin, St. Clair County produced the most soybeans
and corn in 2002. In 1997, there were 778
farms in St. Clair County, totaling 262,963 acres. The
average farm size was 338 acres, and the cost of land averaged $724 per acre.
Lawrence
County
In 2002, Lawrence County ranked third in Missouri for beef cattle production and fifth in
Missouri for dairy cow production. In 1997, there were 1,733
farms in Lawrence County, totaling 337,988 acres.
The average farm size was 195 acres, and the cost of land averaged $1,277 per acre.
How can farmers keep local rivers clean?
Below is a list of what landowners and local citizens can do
to help keep our rivers clean.
- Trees and other vegetation along a riverbank
can help capture runoff flowing towards a river and help the water percolate into the soil
before it enters the stream.
- Soil filters pollutants and cleans the water that
passes through it. The section of vegetation along the edge of streams is called a
riparian buffer. A good minimal width for the riparian buffer is 50 to 100 feet.
- The way
animals get their drinking water can also affect a stream. If the animals drink
water from streams, they can accelerate erosion of the stream bank, or increase the amount
of bacteria into the water. To stop this, farmers can install watering tanks
further from the stream. Farmers can use solar power (if available) to pump water
from the stream to these tanks.
- Landowners
can try to reduce the amount of fertilizers used on their land. If they use
chemicals, like bug and weed sprays, these should be disposed of properly to ensure no
chemicals are leaking onto the ground.
Fertilizer
Information from 1998 shows
that during one year, over 72,000 tons of fertilizer were used on farms in counties within
the Sac River Basin. Below is a table breaking this down by county. Dade County led the Sac River
Basin in fertilizer use in 1998.
Fertilizer
use in the Sac River Basin in 1998
| County |
Total
Fertilizer (tons) |
| Dade |
22,430 |
| Cedar |
6,888 |
| Polk |
15,414 |
| Greene |
19,550 |
St.
Clair |
7,906 |
Lawrence |
12,636 |
Total |
72,188 |
Source: University of Missouri
Annual Fertilizer Tonnage Report
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