May 15: The National Corn Growers Association thanked members of the U.S. Senate who overwhelmingly passed the Water Resources Development Act today, a bill that represents an important step forward in upgrading the inland waterways system.

“Our inland waterways, in particular the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, are an important route for moving our corn to markets worldwide,” said NCGA Chairman Garry Niemeyer, who has been active on the …

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Dec. 28: The coming new year brings intensified shipping difficulties for barge operators on the stretch of the Mississippi River just south of St. Louis. With ice on the river’s northernmost stretch reducing water levels already seriously affected by the drought, traffic on the nation’s largest waterway could come to a halt by Friday of next week.

“While the drought is at the core of the current issues on …

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Nov. 15: The Army Corps of Engineers announced earlier this week that it will proceed with plans to reduce the flow from an upper Missouri River reservoir. This action will be taken despite growing concern that this action will worsen low-water problems on the Mississippi River.

In a recent interview with National Public Radio, National Corn Growers Association Vice President of Research and Development Paul Bertels addressed the situation …

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Nov 2: Plans to file bipartisan legislation to modernize the nation’s ports, locks and dams have been announced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).  The American Waterworks Act would reform the system that builds and maintains the infrastructure. The National Corn Growers Association is pleased that Sens. Alexander and Graham have recognized the importance of the lock and dam systems to the American economy.

“America’s inland …

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Sept. 21: Yesterday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on reauthorization of the Water Resources and Development Act.  Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) expressed support for moving a WRDA bill to the Senate floor during the lame duck session of Congress.  Members of the Committee expressed support for passing a bill as it authorizes a variety projects nationwide.  The hearing …

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Aug. 22: The National Corn Growers Association last week attended a series of meetings that underscored the need for significant changes to lock funding. The meetings looked at infrastructure repairs, transportation situations and ecosystem projects on the Upper Mississippi River. These events, which brought a broad array of stakeholders together to explore the future of this inland waterways system, were held just as drought conditions forced the closure of …

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Mar. 29: With a wide variety of pressing issues facing the federal government over the coming months, funding for desperately needed lock and dam improvements remains a high priority for the nation’s corn farmers according to the National Corn Growers Association.  With the country’s inland navigation system moving more than a billion bushels of grain per year, about 60 percent of all grain exports, farmers understand the importance of …

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By Rick Tolman, NCGA Chief Executive Officer

Feb. 22:  Along with others from farm country, I recently returned from a visit to Panama, where we were treated to a tour of the Panama Canal and got to see very closely the third canal and series of locks being constructed to expand capacity.  

The existing canal is breathtaking with its scale and scope and what it accomplishes, particularly when one …

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Nov. 16: National Corn Growers Association representatives last week traveled to the Panama Canal to explore improvements currently underway with a group of agricultural leaders organized by Informa Economics. During this investigative tour, the group looked at efficiencies in the Panama Canal improvements, particularly those to the locks system, in an attempt to find successful approaches that could be emulated in the United States.

Focusing on the critical need …

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Sept. 21: Steve Ebke, chair of the National Corn Growers Association’s Production and Stewardship Action Team and a farmer from Nebraska, testified today before the House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. The hearing focused on the economic importance and financing challenges of the nation’s inland waterways system.

“The U.S. agricultural sector is the largest user of the freight transportation network, accounting for nearly one-third of …

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By Garry Niemeyer, NCGA First Vice President

Sept. 14: In recent years, many farmers have seen good prices and plentiful crops, allowing us to purchase some much needed new equipment. However, we know that tough times usually follow and there will be years we have to make do with what we have, not matter how much we need to replace it. Our nation’s infrastructure is in some wayslike …

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