From staff reports ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A panel of experts in transportation and agriculture discussed the critical role of inland waters in global ag commerce at the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Agri-Business Meeting last week.
Executive Director of America’s Central Port Dennis Wilmsmeyer said that low water levels along the Mississippi River have affected commodities, leading to product loss.
Executive Vice President of Multi-Modal Enterprises Mary Lamie believes agricultural products are an immediate need, especially in a growing population.
“When you talk about infrastructure, and the need for these ports and better utilizing the inland waterway system, that is why it is so important,” Lamie said.
She added that supply chain disruptions are hard to predict because they could be due to high or low water, tariffs, or global political issues. She emphasized the importance of inland waterway systems and the diversity of the commodities they move.
Wilmsmeyer said the volume of commodities utilizing the river system is down, and they would readily welcome more, be it clothes, shoes, textile, lumber, or anything that can fit in a 20x40-foot container on a barge.
Lamie noted the importance of flexibility when shipping freight via water systems, emphasizing the Missouri and Illinois rivers as alternatives.
Wilmsmeyer added that the Missouri River was all but shut down 20 years ago, partially due to core policy and partially due to underutilization, and he agreed that it continues to be underutilized. He explained that getting products on a barge and floating them down the river as soon as possible is a cost-effective move for producers. “It opens up a whole new opportunity, specialty grains being one of those, to be able to containerize them and ship them to foreign markets,” he said.
Meagan Kaiser, Past Chair of United Soybean Board and a Missouri Farmer, added, “JFK has a famous quote, ‘Farmers buy at retail, sell at bulk, and pay freight both ways.’ So, it is very important for us to have that infrastructure not only for our exports, but also for the fertilizer to ensure that we have what we need to produce a nutritious crop for the next cycle.”
She asked listeners to imagine grain drying in closed containers at the edges of a farmer’s field, allowing the farmer to sell the container to someone in another country.
Kaiser emphasized the opportunity for more reliability and sustainability, calling the idea a win-win for all involved.