Lock and Dam Project Receives $732 Million in Renovation Funding Key to Help Ensure Global Competitiveness of U.S. Soy

United Soybean Board, four Qualified State Soybean Boards, Iowa Corn Promotion Board and the Soy Transportation Coalition proposed initial funding for key supply chain link on the Mississippi River.

ST. LOUIS (Jan. 25, 2022) — To continue reliable delivery of U.S. soybean exports to customers around the world, in November 2021, the soy checkoff committed to funding pre-engineering and design work to enhance and maintain Lock and Dam #25 on the Upper Mississippi River. In January 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the details of projects to receive funding this year. Lock and Dam #25 has been selected to receive $732 million for completion of the design and construction work. Renovation of this important supply chain link and U.S. infrastructure asset is critical for efficient barge traffic.

“The river system in the United States is our lifeline and one of U.S. Soy’s biggest advantages over our competitors,” said Meagan Kaiser, USB farmer-leader and soybean farmer from Missouri. “It’s vital that our supply chain remain strong and reliable so we can continue to market our products and provide the most sustainable, reliable nutrient source for our customers. Soybean farmers understand this, which is why the checkoff is working to modernize U.S. infrastructure and return value back to the farm.”

United Soybean Board, the Soy Transportation Coalition, Illinois Soybean Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and Iowa Corn Promotion Board committed a $1 million investment to offset pre-engineering and design work expenses required to move the project forward. A new video from USB explains the cooperative effort.

Now approved for federal funding, the project is the first under the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). NESP is a long-term program, authorized by Congress, to improve and restore the Upper Mississippi River System. Primary opportunities of improvement include reducing commercial traffic delays while restoring, protecting and enhancing the environment.

Lock and Dam #25 is one of seven existing locks specified by NESP for improvements. These existing locks, constructed in the 1930s, experience significant delays due to the single 600-foot lock chambers that raise and lower vessels moving from one water level to another. The 600-foot chambers require 1,200-foot barges to be disconnected and double-locked, significantly slowing delivery of U.S. grain commodities.

According to a report prepared for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, Lock & Dam #25 accommodates 200 million bushels of soybeans annually. The Waterways Council, Inc. states an outage at this facility would cost nearly $1.6 billion and increase the number of truck traffic trips by more than 500,000 annually. Additionally, a 2016 economic impact analysis by the USDA demonstrated this lock and dam’s importance — predicting that even just a three-month shut down (Sept.-Nov.) would result in aggregate economic activity related to grain barge transportation declining by $933 million.

“Agricultural products comprise 70% of what we move through this part of the Mississippi River, so it’s significant to U.S. farmers and international customers that rely on this infrastructure to have our transportation corridor functioning,” said Andy Schimpf, navigation business line manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Barge transport via the lock and dam system provides the most economical, efficient and sustainable method of shipping U.S. soybeans and other goods.”

Lock and Dam #25 isn’t the first critical infrastructure project taken on by the soy checkoff. In 2019, the checkoff invested in research, analysis and design to initiate dredging of the lower Mississippi River. That initial funding helped open the door to a $245 million investment from the federal government and the state of Louisiana to dredge the area from 45 to 50 feet. Once complete, the project is estimated to create an additional $461 million value opportunity for U.S. soybean farmers.

“Investments should never be regarded as a one-time activity,” said Mike Steenhoek, executive director, Soy Transportation Coalition. “They must be perpetual. Infrastructure investments that soybean farmers have made in the past have positioned us for future success. We want to continue that level of investment, so U.S. soybean farmers and their consumers continue to benefit.”

To learn about key investments made on behalf of U.S. soybean farmers, sign up for The Soy Hopper newsletter at unitedsoybean.org/newsletter.

About United Soybean Board: United Soybean Board’s 78 volunteer farmer-leaders work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers create value by investing in research, education and promotion with the vision to deliver sustainable soy solutions to every life, every day across the three priority areas of Infrastructure & Connectivity, Health & Nutrition, and Innovation & Technology. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff. For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit unitedsoybean.org.

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Contact:

Paul Murphy-Spooner at United Soybean Board, 515.975.6584.

Mace Thornton at United Soybean Board, mthornton@unitedsoybean.org.