Governor Blunt is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help after this year's round of flooding. The option could make a huge difference for farmers.

Wayne Hilgedick has been a farmer for almost 60 years and he's seen his fair share of floods.

"There was '93 and then again in '95."

In the past, mid-Missouri farms like Hilgedick's received federal money following floods. In '93, Missouri farmers got between eight and ten million dollars and in '95, seven to eight million.

"It wasn't really a gift to put in the bank account. It was just money that you had to fill out the paperwork to do sand removal, deep plowing of the sand and all that kind of stuff," Wayne Hilgedick explained.

Hilgedick still hasn't planted this year's crop of soybeans on his field because, up until recently, the ground was still wet. He knows the value of federal assistance money.

"It meant all the difference in the world because we only get income coming in once a year you might say, from our crops. If you miss out that year, that's a long wait until September of the next year," Hilgedick explained.

Hilgedick received federal money in both 1993 and 1995. He says farmers whose crops were destroyed by this year's flood can benefit from the same kind of aid.

Money to help out mid-Missouri farmers will be available if the U.S. Department of Agriculture approves the governor's request. Representatives from the Missouri State Farm Service Agency say they're optimistic about mid-Missouri farmer's chances of getting federal help this year.