LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Mississippi River has reached record low levels for the second consecutive year.
“Consistently at negative 10, negative 11 feet for the next two weeks,” said Hunter Biram, assistant professor and extension economist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “The river level has reached a record low this year, relative even last year, and last year, set a new record low relative to 1988.”
Biram said those low levels are impacting barges trying to transport goods on the river.
“Stopped around Memphis," Biram said. "A lot of barges stopped around Vicksburg, and around St. Louis, around those major hubs, but haven't seen a ton of barge traffic up and down the Mississippi along the Arkansas border."
Arkansas exports soybeans, grains and other goods along the Mississippi River, so if things don't get better, Biram said we could feel some negative impacts.
“Essentially, what happens is the freight rate has to be increased to compensate for not as much capacity," Biram said. "Not as much of that grain being shipped."
Which could hurt the pockets of Arkansas farmers.
“They could be losing 16 to 20% per bushel," Biram said. "On your dollar, two per bushel."
It also impacts vital imports for farmers like fertilizer.
“I was just talking to a farmer yesterday and that was his concern," Biram said. "He is a farmer who stored. He did risk management with his grain, but he's worried about those high fertilizer prices that could come because of less supply."
Biram said for now all we can do is hope for rain.
“The rivers that pour into the Mississippi River," Biram said. "If we can see rain across those areas, that should alleviate a lot of these problems."
Trucks and railroads are alternatives, but Biram said they are less efficient and come at an increased cost.