But work on the Parana and Amazon rivers has had a dramatic impact on the cost of shipping South American grains. It costs about 46 cents per bushel to send soybeans from Jefferson, Iowa, to New Orleans. That's the transportation gap that Midwest farmers currently enjoy. The argument over lock extensions on the Mississippi River is really about how fast that gap dwindles. Brazil and Argentina will continue to invest in their transportation infrastructures and to lower shipping costs.
Standing still is a viable option.
Of course not. That won't change. They will probably never catch up. Jim Patrico F or the first time in its history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might lose a battle over the Mississippi River. American Rivers added the Mississippi River to its Top Ten Endangered Rivers list in 2000.