The National Corn Growers Association recently recognized Illinois Corn’s Managing Director Jim Tarmann for his work to secure vital funding for locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi River System.
The recognition came at the end of Commodity Classic in New Orleans.
“Jim spent years educating public policymakers about the importance of the locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi River System,” said Iowa farmer and NCGA President Chris Edgington. “Thanks to his efforts, billions of dollars are going to update this system that is so vital to farmers.”
More than 60% of the nation’s corn and soybean exports are transported on the Mississippi River. Yet, many of the locks and dams along the river system have not been updated since the 1930s, leading to breakdowns that have delayed shipments along the river.
Knowing that breakdowns along the system would lead to costly delays for farmers, Tarmann began decades ago advocating for updates to the system’s locks and dams.
Thanks to his work, billions of dollars for the locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River System were recently allocated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by Pres. Biden.
For his efforts, Tarmann received a framed photo of Lock and Dam 25, which is located north of St. Louis and is a vital part of the river system.
