ST. LOUIS, MO – One popular and efficient path for delivering corn and soybeans from the midwest to foreign buyers is shipment via barge on the nation’s waterways.
One vital passage is the Mississippi River, especially between Baton Rouge (LA) and the Gulf of Mexico. That stretch has provided many headaches in the past few years as barges increase in size and the river continues to fill with silt and mud.
According to the United Soybean Board, checkoff-funded research will help jumpstart a project whereby the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin deepening the Mississippi River from 45 feet down to 50 feet. This “dredging” effort will help improve cost-effective shipments from a region that accounts for 60 percent of all soybean trade and 59 percent of all corn.
MORE: Dredging Project Readies Mississippi River for Efficient Soy Transportation
This 256-mile stretch of the Mississippi River has been identified by agriculture as being a top priority in infrastructure improvement for the country.
(SOURCE: United Soybean Board)