Late last week, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, updated the estimated damages to crops caused by the Aug. 10 derecho. The collaboration between Naig’s office and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as well as farmers and farm organizations and agribusinesses revealed that 57 counties in Iowa were in the path of the storm. That area encompasses approximately 14 million acres of insured crops, 8.2 million corn acres and 5.6 million of soybeans that have been impacted by the storm. The satellite imagery available shows that 36 counties of those 57 were hardest hit by the derecho with the greatest impact on 3.57 million acres of corn and 2.5 million of soybeans. Naig has been touring those hard-hit areas. “Those farmers put significant resources into this crop and were planning for strong yields. Now, their crops have been damaged—some destroyed—and the state has lost tens of millions of bushels of grain storage just a few weeks before harvest begins. That is a devastating blow to the agricultural community that is still recovering from the pandemic.” Iowans impacted by the storm can call the Iowa Concern Hotline at 800-447-1985 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.