By Todd Neeley
DTN Staff Reporter
PERU, Neb. (DTN) ? Farmer Brett Adams watches and studies the Missouri River near his farm here.
It has become an obsession.
Gaping holes remain in levee R562 in this southeastern tip of Nebraska. Generations had passed without the structure ever yielding to the river. Then, one year ago this week, the ?bomb cyclone? weather event launched a devastating flood across the state. The floodwaters broke through the levee and left Adams? 2,000-acre farm nestled between the town and the levee ? 80% of his entire operation ? under 6 feet of water.
The land dried by mid-November 2019. And, after a dry winter and early warm spring, his fields look ready to plant ? if the river allows.
?I have very, very minimal farmland damage, which is 100% surprising,? Adams said. ?You know, you read all these reports of sand on your property, large channels cut through your farm fields, and that was the hardest part for me is waiting and wondering.?
Still, the river lurks.
