The Mississippi River is running low, due to a drought sweeping most of the midwest. It’s the second year in a row the river has been low during the fall harvest season – when many crops are shipped downstream for international export. Hydrologists with the National Weather Service say if we don’t get more precipitation, the river could be low all through the winter months and that may not reverse until the spring melt period. So, what’s the problem?
The Mississippi River gives U.S. farmers a huge advantage over other countries because it costs a lot less to ship corn and soybeans on the river compared to trucks or rail. But the river is much less efficient when water levels drop, like right now. USDA economists say that the fall harvest is when the vast majority of soybeans are exported. They call it “game time” and in agriculture they need the supply chain to be firing on all cylinders and right now…that’s not happening. Officials say some soybeans and other agricultural products will still float down the river, but farmers will have to find other places to store or sell their crop.
