The Importance of Inland Waterways to U.S. Agriculture Report

The nation’s primary inland waterways system–the upper and lower Mississippi River, Arkansas River, Illinois and Ohio Rivers, Tennessee River, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway–moves grain from America’s heartland to New Orleans for export, transporting about 60 percent of U.S. corn and soybean exports with a combined value of $17.2 billion.

This report used economic modeling to forecast the impacts to the U.S. economy and agricultural competitiveness in global markets. The benefits and costs from varying levels of funding to maintain and improve the country’s inland waterways system were compared over a 10-year and a 25-year period. The report also includes analysis of state-level economic impacts for 12 states with the largest movements of corn and soybeans by barge (Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Wisconsin).

View the Full Report (pdf)

View the Summary Report (pdf)

View the Press Release - August 28, 2019 - Secretary Perdue, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works James Highlight Importance of Waterways to U.S. Agriculture