News
Partnership signed to begin dredging lower Mississippi
An agreement has been signed between the Corps of Engineers and the State of Louisiana to soon begin dredging a portion of the Lower Mississippi River that will benefit soybean and grain farmers.
Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition tells Brownfield the first phase of the project will begin in late summer or early fall on a 154 mile segment where the majority of soybean and grain export terminals are located…
“As far as the soybean and grain supply chain, we will have a noticeable improvement in that by fall of 2021.”
The United Soybean Board allocated $2-million dollars to help offset the planning, design and research costs of deepening the lower Mississippi from 45 to 50 feet…
“Having this project come to fruition in which soybean farmers were a significant contributor, that’s something that farmers should be proud of.”
Steenhook says a deeper river will allow larger ships to be used and current ships to carry more weight, increasing by about $460-million-dollars the amount of soybeans that can move through.
The channel will be deepened from Venice, Louisiana to the Gulf of Mexico. Other construction will occur over the next four or five years moving pipelines and dredging high spots.
Hear my interview with Mike Steenhoek:
