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Soybean farmers contribute 2M towards river improvements

Soybean farmers are investing two-million dollars of checkoff money into improving the transportation system they rely on for exports.  The Soy Transportation Coalition says the money from the United Soybean Board will help pay for planning, design, and research to deepen the lower Mississippi River navigation channel.

Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition says using checkoff dollars to help kickstart a lower Mississippi River dredging project is an investment that will benefit farmers.  “So many farmers throughout the country depend upon that single area of the country, so any opportunity to enhance it is going to provide benefit to soybean farmers collectively.  That’s why it’s such an important project to promote.”

Steenhoek tells Brownfield they studied the project and released a report in 2018 in favor of the project, and the Army Corps of Engineers has shown a greater than 7-to-1 cost-benefit ratio for dredging the channel from 45 to 50 feet deep.  The coalition says dredging the channel would allow larger cargo ships to reach a substantial number of terminals and leave fully-loaded, saving 13 cents a bushel on transportation costs and improving the local price farmers receive for commodities in 31 states.

Steenhoek says while Washington talks about public-private partnerships, farmers have already put their money where their mouth is.  “Soybean farmers want this money to be used for this specific project, and so hopefully, it will be a catalyst to get federal action as well, so we look forward to making that case.”

The Soybean Transportation Coalition says dredging the channel would allow larger cargo ships to reach a substantial number of terminals and leave fully-loaded, saving 13 cents a bushel on transportation costs and improving the local price farmers receive for commodities in 31 states.

The overall dredging project would be done in three phases and cost about 245-million dollars, with the federal government paying 75% of the cost.  The first phase of dredging includes ten miles from Venice, Louisiana to the gulf. A second phase of the project is from mile 154 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The State of Louisiana is also investing in river improvements and assisting with pipeline relocation.