Climate Changed
Mississippi River Drought Is Pushing Soybean Shippers to Texas
- Shallow water makes it difficult to float barges in some areas
- River-shipping crisis hits as farmers seek to transport crops
Barges are stranded by low water in the Port of Rosedale along the Mississippi River on October 20.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The shrinking Mississippi River has hobbled the most efficient channel for moving US soybeans onto world markets, prompting a pivot to alternatives from Puget Sound to Texas to the Great Lakes.
Typically, more than half of all US soybean exports traverse the Mississippi River but after weeks of scant rainfall, water depths have dwindled, raising barge costs to an all-time high. As a result, ports in places like southeast Texas that normally handle less than 5% of the nations soybean exports are being thrust into action.