'The crop is basically wiped out': Burt County farmers impacted by Missouri River flooding

About a mile west of the Missouri River in rural Burt County, Nebraska, Randy Olson’s farmland is buried beneath several feet of murky water.

Two weeks ago, Olson said he had one of the nicest looking crops he’s seen in a long time.

But on Saturday, June 22, Olson received a call that a significant amount of water was heading down the Missouri River and he cut an out-of-town trip short to return to his farm.

Water began encroaching on Olson’s land Sunday, and by Tuesday, his entire property was underwater.

Olson said other nearby landowners had tried to remove equipment from the flood plain, but the flood came too quickly.

“The water came up so fast, they couldn’t get the people out there with their equipment to get the motors removed,” he said.

By the middle of the week, Olson estimated that 12-15 feet of water was covering his property in low-lying areas.

Friday afternoon, the water had receded a few feet from its peak, leaving behind a swamp of rotting corn, soybeans and other debris in its wake.

“The crop is basically wiped out, so we'll still have to come in there and either plant a cover crop or do something to keep the weeds out get it in shape for the next growing season,” Olson said. “There will be no harvesting on it. There will be no income on it.”

Olson says most farmers in the area have crop insurance to cover the losses, but they won’t be able to turn a profit.

“That is, of course, a ripple effect for the economy, because if nobody has money, nobody can spend money, so, it kind of goes around a little bit,” Olson said.

Once the waters subside, Olson and other Burt County farmers will be busy removing logs and debris from their fields and repairing the erosion caused by the flood.

The 2024 event is the third time Olson’s land has flooded since 2011, but Olson said he plans to keep farming in the area.

“I don’t know if there’s’ anything that can be done, governmental-wise to help the situation,” he said. “It’s unfortunately something that does happen, and this one was Mother Nature at its worst.”

Janis Connealy lives about 100 feet from the Missouri River.

Her house was built in 2013, just two years after the 2011 floods in the region. Connealy’s home was spared by the 2024 flood, but she said it was the closest water has come to the home since its construction.

“They said it would be similar to the 2019 [flood] and it was worse than that,” she said.

Connealy owns other land south of Tekamah, which her son farms, which was wiped out by the flood.

“Everybody said, ‘It’s life on the river, I guess,’ but it’s sad because that’s your livelihood,” she said. “It’s your crops.”