According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 60 percent of U.S. corn and soybean exports move down the Mississippi River, Arkansas, Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Yet, the Mississippi River is flowing at low levels, impacting areas west of the Mississippi and the flow of goods up and down river. The transportation industry is asking for intervention to sustain the flow of exports that is vital to the U.S. agriculture industry.
Rain would ease the drought in the region and perhaps maintain water levels high enough for barges carrying critical exports. In the last few months, the region saw the driest conditions on record, and looking at the weather forecasts this pattern will continue into the unforeseeable future.
