Drought conditions on the Mississippi River are over for now

The drought along the Mississippi River is over, for now.

That’s according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition says the better conditions are due to recent snow and rainfall experienced in the overall watershed. He shares more about the declining water levels that began back in September of 2022, and how quickly that situation could return.

“Good to see water levels back to some degree of normalcy, the concern we have going forward is that so much of the farm ground is very dehydrated. And so, what that means is it won’t take a very prolonged period of dry conditions to all of a sudden return us back to low water conditions.”

Mike Steenhoek, Soy Transportation Coalition

Taking a look at current drought conditions along the Mighty Mississippi, dryness has cleared up, but farmers in several spots are still facing anywhere from abnormal to extreme drought conditions.

Steenhoek says the river is one of the largest and most efficient pathways for Midwestern growers to get their grain to market and the best time to respond to these potential logistical challenges is now, before it happens again.

“So, anything that we can do in terms of water levels that really point to having dredges that are available, ready to be deployed if there’s going to be problems that materialize. Not just waiting for a problem to occur then all of a sudden making a plan for addressing it.”

Mike Steenhoek, Soy Transportation Coalition

Infrastructure laws have been passed over the last few years to help with this situation, but Steenhoek says a more reliable and predictable form of funding is still needed.