He and Bill Horan of Rockwell City, who helped incorporate Truth About Trade, traveled to Brazil in 1998. Since then, Burrack has talked to farmers and politicians and journalists about threats to the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. I ve seen what the Brazilians have built and what they ve already started. We have about 10 years to get on top of this, he says. The delays in sending grain barges through the aging locks cost him 3 or 4 cents a bushel, Burrack estimates.
Frustration seeps into the conversation.
He does not know why farmers must argue for these upgrades. Some environmental and conservation groups claim river transportation upgrades will cause farmers to grow more crops, which will fill river backwaters with sediment, Burrack says. Backwaters exist because of the locks and dams, he notes I m concerned about the environment, he says, adding millions of dollars are spent on environmental projects on the river. We support the environmental projects, but we can t get them to support ours, he says, referring to opponents. During his visit to Washington, D.C., he found common cause with a cabbie.