Months of drought are making the Mississippi River nearly unnavigable for barges, and that鈥檚 creating problems for farmers looking to ship their harvest.
A summer of prolonged drought across the Midwest has led to the low levels. By Oct. 19 the river was 10 feet below normal at Memphis. Vicksburg, Mississippi, reported depths as low as one foot.
鈥淏arges are parked, waiting for a turn to try and get through, not only just on the Mississippi River, but the rivers that feed into it, like the Ohio River, the Illinois River,鈥� said Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Iowa-based Soy Transportation Coalition. 鈥淪o you see all these areas where the price farmers are being offered has dropped.鈥�
More than half of corn, soybean and wheat exports are shipped from U.S. Gulf Coast export terminals, and much of that arrives by barge. The slowdown on barge movement is taxing an already stressed supply chain.
鈥淭rucks and trains might be an option for some farmers, but it is much more expensive, and those modes of transportation are already at or near capacity,鈥� Steenhoek said.
The Army Corps of Engineers has dredged the river to keep traffic moving, but that has been limited to a depth of nine feet and a width of less than 300 feet. The Coast Guard has also put restrictions in place forcing barges to take on lighter loads.
鈥淭he navigation channel is being maintained at the levels we are required to keep it,鈥� said George Stringham, spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District. 鈥淏ut there are restrictions in place which means barge traffic is moving slower and loads have to be lighter because there isn鈥檛 enough water in the river.鈥�
According to the National Weather Service, most of the upper Mississippi River Basin is between abnormally dry and severe drought conditions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never been this bad in my career,鈥� said Butler Miller with St. Louis-based barge company Robert B. Miller and Associates. 鈥淭he last time the river levels were this low was in the 1980s. Rain is really the only thing that will fix it. You can dredge, and that helps things along a little bit.鈥�
Meteorologists predict that lower Mississippi River levels will remain where they currently stand through the end of the month. Even if it rains, rivers will be the last place to see the benefits of the moisture.
鈥淭he fields are so dry, they will soak up a lot of water before it starts feeding the creeks, streams and rivers,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淲e need a lot of steady rain.鈥�
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