Biotechnology Ethanol Transportation Trade Research And Business Dev. NCGA testified on Capitol Hill today that the antiquated locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers severely compromise producers' ability to ship commodities when markets demand product.
Overseas markets are key customers for corn growers and other grain producers.
The reason is, Burrack stated, that U.S. corn exports historically relied on a superior transportation network that kept the price of corn competitive with overseas producers. Congestion at the locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers exists. It is real and every year it gets worse. And the worst part, it will only continue to magnify until we fix it, or are completely irrelevant in global agriculture markets. View the testimony here .