The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a study that quantifies the cost-savings and competitive advantages that would accrue from investing in long-delayed improvements to inland waterways locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois River system.
The study, Importance of Inland Waterways to U.S. Agriculture, addresses the critical connection between the inland waterways and the competitiveness of American agriculture in global markets.
The inland waterways system carries large volumes of bulk commodities and farm inputs, such as fertilizer, over long distances mainly for export or import, and is of vital importance to numerous industries. In 2017, 532.8 million tons of domestic barge traffic worth $220 billion moved on the system.