Iowa Soybean Farmers commits $100,000 to lock and dam

The Ankeny-based Iowa Soybean Association has offered $100,000 to address initial engineering and design modifications necessary to improve the aging infrastructure of Lock and Dam 25 on the Upper Mississippi River.

Some 200 million bushels of soybeans from growers in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin annually move downstream through Lock and Dam 25, in Winfield, Mo., to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the soybean association said in a news release Thursday.

The association's contribution is part of a $1 million proposal made by state and national partners.

They also include the United Soybean Board, Soy Transportation Coalition, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, the release said.

“Efficiently moving soybeans through the (Mississippi) River gives U.S. soy a unique advantage over competitors,” said Scot Bailey, the association’s director and board adviser to the Soy Transportation Coalition.

The Mississippi River transports 60 percent of all U.S. soybean exports, meaning investments to improve existing inland waterway infrastructure remains a priority for Iowa farmers.

Lock and Dam 25 opened in 1939. A system fault at the facility could cost soybean farmers nearly $1.6 billion according to research conducted by the Waterways Council, the release said.