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Local farmers could receive a big check from the federal government.
This comes after a judge ruled federal engineers may be responsible for past flooding.
It's all part of a major lawsuit spanning several states.
More than 350 Midwest farmers blame a change in river management policy for flooding which dates back to 2011 and that includes farms in the St. Joseph area.
An attorney representing many of those farmers says livelihoods were destroyed.
"I didn't realize the impact it was having on people's lives," Edwin Smith of Polsinelli Law Firm said. "When you get into this case as far as we have, you realize how devastating the 2011 flood was, it essentially took the lives of a lot of our clients away."
Attorneys note that this only an initial ruling is just the beginning with hundreds more claims to be reviewed.
