As the soybean and corn harvests approach full swing, the resiliency of the inland waterway system is being tested by the damage of Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas.
Ken Eriksen, senior vice president-agribusiness at IHS Markit, told the High Plains Journal that the impacts to barge movements of Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas have been “far worse than Katrina,” but have also boosted barge rates.
Five or six of the nine major grain elevators in the Lower Mississippi River region have reopened for business.
Along the western Gulf Coast, the United States Department of Agriculture has granted emergency waivers for some barges to load wheat directly onto ships without inspections, if the parties request it.
Read the full report at High Plains Journal.
