IFB Joins DC Legislators on Mississippi Tour

The Mississippi River is critical to the livelihood of many Illinois farmers and Illinois Farm Bureau works to make sure Washington understands that.

This week, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, D-Belleville, joined IFB's Vice-President Richard Guebert, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and River Industry Executive Task Force for a tour of the area where the corps is removing bedrock pinnacles near Thebes.

After the tour, Enyart noted that the Mississippi River is "where we're feeding the world, and if we can't get those soybeans and corn down, then the consumers of those agricultural products are in trouble until Brazil, Argentina and some of the South American countries' crops start coming in.

He continued, "We want to make sure we get those products to market, that we get those sales so that we keep that money flowing into our economy."

Durbin stated that President Obama was well aware of the situation. "I know that the president is viewing this very personally, very seriously. Two weeks ago in a staff meeting, he raised this question: 'What's going on with the Mississippi River?' At which point I got in touch with the White House, and we started working with other agencies, and their basic message to me was, 'Do what it takes to keep that river open.' And we are determined to make that happen."

Rock removal is under way about 150 miles south of St. Louis. It has helped maintain a 9-foot channel needed to keep barges moving, but limits the hours of navigation. The Corps blasts 16 hours a day, allowing barges to pass for only eight hours daily over the past few weeks.

Illinois Farm Bureau's Guebert expressed thanks for efforts to assist Illinois agriculture, which relies on keeping the channel operational. Illinois Farm Bureau also teamed up with Illinois Corn Growers Association and the Waterway Council to obtain aerial footage (see above) of the Mississippi River, offering a new perspective on the critically lower water levels.