Video: As Mississippi River begins to run dry, farmers, ports at risk, Soy Transportation Coalition's Steenhoek says
10/25/2022
On Oct. 24, Executive Director of the Soy Transportation Coalition Mike Steenhoek talked with RailPrime Associate Editor Grace Renderman about the record-low water levels of the Mississippi River and the effect on the supply chain, mid-America farmers and what it might mean for the future of shipping on the waterway.
Some parts of the river are at the lowest water levels in 30 years, according to an Oct. 14 report from the Wall Street Journal. That means ports are having a hard time receiving large commercial barges due to a lack of both water depth and width, Steenhoek says. Those barges are key to many farmers' ability to ship their products for domestic and international trade, and without them, they are left with few alternatives — alternatives that are becoming increasingly more expensive.
While some farmers have access to rail and truck shipping options, others don't; given the ubiquity and convenience of shipping on the United States' longest river, some regions along the Mississippi never developed any alternatives, Steenhoek says. It's especially true in Louisiana, Arkansas and western Tennessee, shipping hubs close to the Gulf of Mexico.
This problem won't go away anytime soon — and as we head into 2023 still trying to heal from a pandemic-induced supply-chain crisis, it's critical that farmers in one of the nation's largest agricultural corridors get the help they need, he says. That might mean federal dollars going to infrastructure projects to improve the resiliency of the river's locks and dams, and routine dredging of the river.
