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MACON, MO. -- A panel in Macon addressed questions and topics related to the drought and agriculture.

Around 50 people were in attendance Monday night to hear from those representing everything from crop insurance to the Macon County Commissioners.

They also answered questions about how much nitrate is in the corn farmers are producing.

Despite the uncertainty, one of the panel members believes farmers' attitudes have been pretty positive throughout the drought.

"They've stayed pretty optimistic," said Extension Agri-Business Specialist Joe Koenen.  "If we continue to lose water resources, they'll start to go down in a hurry.

Macon County Commissioner Jon Dwiggins said that Long Branch Lake would be able to meet needs for several years even if didn't rain anymore this year.

But, the real issue would be if producers had to turn to rural water to water livestock.