Mississippi River

The Key to Reversing Low River Levels and Shoring Up Critical Infrastructure

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 18:14:20 GMT

Mississippi River levels are low this fall season—for the third year in a row.

“The timing couldn’t be worse,” says Jon Davis, chief meteorologist at Everstream Analytics. “October is a critical month for barge transportation in the Mississippi River Basin. This is especially the case in the agricultural sector as crops are harvested in the Midwest and transported mainly by barge to New Orleans.”

He says this year’s river levels mimic 2024 conditions. Barge restrictions were put in place in September, and currently, the low-water restrictions for southbound vessels on the Lower Mississippi River from the U.S. Coast Guard include:

• Cairo, Ill., to Lake Providence, La., MM 869-483: Drafts no greater than 10'6" and barges no more than six wide.

• Lake Providence, La., to the Gulf of Mexico, MM 483-303: Drafts no greater than 11' and barges no more than six wide.

“August was a very dry month in the Central and Eastern Corn Belt and in the Delta, and in mid- to late August, we began to see that response in the river system overall. That was the time frame we began to watch things very closely,” Davis says. “Based on September being very dry, it looked like the overall decline in river levels was going to continue and we’re going to get into a bit more of a restrictive environment, which would certainly impact logistics on the river system.”

The weather patterns of the past seven weeks accelerated river level issues.

“The combination of recent warmth and long-term dryness has led to this decline in river levels, and if we look at the river levels now compared with the last 10 years, we’re at some of the lowest levels we’ve seen,” Davis adds.

Ohio River at Cairo, Ill. Oct 1, 2025

(USGS)

Mississippi River at Dubuque, Iowa on Oct. 1

(USGS)

Davis says there’s not much recharge for the river in the forecast — and the greatest source for getting levels back up is unfortunately a tropical system, such as a hurricane.

Mississippi River at Memphis, TN on Oct. 1

(USGS)

Mississippi River at New Orleans on Oct. 1

(USGS)

“That’s what helped last year—the storms that developed in October,” he says.

Looking at the forecast, the next seven to 10 days doesn’t show much promise for precipitation along the Mississippi River Valley or the Ohio River Valley, which notably feeds the lower Mississippi. However, the end of October could turn wetter, which might slow the finish of harvest but could recharge the vital artery in our inland waterways.

Be Prepared: Intense Storm Cluster With 75+ MPH Winds Working Through Upper Midwest Monday Evening

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:51:00 GMT

A powerful cluster of storms is forming in the Upper Midwest with a chance for crop-damaging winds and potential tornados in central South and North Dakota as well as southwestern Minnesota, warns The National Weather Service and meteorologist Bret Walts with BAMWX.com.

Walts expects the cluster will release a lot of wind energy this afternoon and this evening as it gathers steam moving east through the upper Great Plains. It could even intensify into a rare derecho storm with hurricane force winds.

UPDATE: The Weather Channel is now reporting a “derecho is likely to strike the Northern Plains.”

“We’ve got a stronger (atmospheric) jet stream moving in with a lot of instability in place still with the heat and humidity across parts of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota,” he says.

Walts is paying close attention to how quickly the individual storm cells merge together. He says the faster that formation occurs the more intense the storm has the potential to become.

7/28/25: Intense severe storms are expected to form this afternoon in SD and spread southeastward into MN and IA through tonight. Swaths of damaging winds, potentially 75-90 mph, are the main concern. Be prepared to take action if watches and warnings are issued for your area. pic.twitter.com/wf2rH7eUdD
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) July 28, 2025

Walts forecasts the timing as 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT for parts of South and North Dakota, while 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. would be the time frame for the most intense winds in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota.

“If that initial cell to the north shoots out of a lot of boundaries it could lead to the setup becoming a little bit messier,” Walts says. “We’ll know by five or six o’clock that if this thing is not getting organized, then we have an idea it is not going to be that intense. But I don’t anticipate that happening because the environment is very, very unstable and there’s a lot of wind energy. That combination this time of the year normally is not a good thing.”

NOAA says it expects these storms will move very quickly, and it is important to take action when warnings are issued locally. Do not wait until you see or hear signs of a strong storm because by that time it might be too late.

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Ready to Roll? Check Out These Last-Minute Planter Tips For Strong Emergence This Spring

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:07:32 GMT

Much of the Midwest and Upper South will face torrential rains if the forecasts for this weekend are accurate, so if you’re stuck inside and can’t plant anytime soon, you might as well double check your planter is ready to go once your fields dry up.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer joined AgriTalk host Chip Flory this week to talk about planter setup tips. Bauer has been called the “Queen of Planter Setup” due to the wealth of experience and knowledge she has to share about getting your planter ready to rock.

“It’s really about those little details … those last-minute details are really important,” Bauer says. “Before the planter pulls out of that shop, we need to make sure our gauge wheels are set.”

Nearly 90% of the planters she sees out running ground have the gauge wheels set too loose, which can result in dry soil getting flung down into the seed trench, she adds. You want good seed-to-soil contact with warm, moist soil at planting for strong and uniform emergence.

Bauer, who operates B&M Crop Consulting, advises once your gauge wheels are set correctly, you need to keep checking them throughout the planting season.

Related - Trace The Path: Spring Planter Setup Tips

From there, make sure you carefully go over your disc openers to check for warping. Bauer says farmers are doing a good job changing out worn disc openers, but it’s critical they check each wheel and make sure there is less than a quarter-inch of variation. You can take two business cards and slide one in from the bottom and one in from the top and see where they come together to see how uniform the openers are, Bauer says.

“That’s real important on those John Deere and Kinze planters, the red planters are a little bit different in that respect,” she adds.

Your planter down pressure system should be another key focus of your pre-field inspections. If you’re planting corn and your goal is precise 2” deep seed placement, Bauer says to plant a few rows and get out and check to make sure you’re actually hitting the target. If not, or if you’re planting too deep, it’s time to make some adjustments to the down pressure settings in the monitor.

Listen below: Yield Champions Randy Dowdy and David Hula Share Top Planter Tips

“Again, you have what you have, as far as technology for this year on your planter, but doing those extra checks in the field and making sure you’re running with the adequate amount of pressure is pretty critical, too,” she says.

And lastly, setting the stage in your fields for strong seed emergence is another critical step, according to Bauer. When you’re making that final seed prep tillage pass, be diligent about checking that the tillage tool is staying level and is doing what you want it to.

Related - 5 Retrofit Kits To Upgrade Your Planter From Old to Gold

“Making sure we got a good seed bed is important,” she says. “And if you’re on the no-till side of things, with all the moisture we’re getting, there are a lot of weeds coming. So think about burn down and starting clean for planting, so we’re not planting into a weed mat, I think that’s something you don’t want to overlook this year, because margins are tight and they’re going to be tight for the year. So any little details I can put into planting, making sure I can have the best (outcome) on the bushel side is important.”

Your Next Reads On Planter Setup:

Is Your Planter Ready to Roll? Use this Checklist to Be Sure

Spring Planter Setup: Seed Meters Must Be a Focus

Spring Planters: In-Furrow Components Essential to Success

Goodbye, La Niña? Eric Snodgrass Dissects What the Shift Means for Weather This Spring and Summer

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:12:49 GMT

La Niña is weakening, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) expects neutral conditions to develop in the next month . But even with La Niña fading, meteorologists are still concerned about drought this spring and summer.

NOAA this week said forecasters expect ENSO-neutral conditions to develop in the next month and persist through the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. According to NOAA, La Niña’s signature is cooler-than-average surface water in the east-central tropical Pacific, stronger-than-average trade winds, and drier conditions over the central Pacific.

ENSO-neutral means conditions could be close to average, but Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, says that doesn’t mean the weather will be normal this spring and summer.

“I do expect changes,” Snodgrass says. “Think about it like this: The previous winter was an El Niño winter, and it was very mild and very wet. So, we got into spring ’24 with tons of moisture. I mean, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota flooded out. Then we had this incredibly dry fall as the La Niña began, and it reached a peak twice. It actually hit a peak in December, and then a secondary peak about a month later at the end of January. It’s been fading ever since. The big question is, as we go into neutral conditions for this upcoming growing season, is it going to be one that paints a picture of precipitation extremes? Did it leave us with any sort of kind of problems from winter that are carrying over?”

Snodgrass says the severe weather outbreaks on Friday, that brought high winds, dust storms and wildfire warnings across the Plains, is a reminder how dry it is in the Southwest.

“We’ve got major pockets of the country that are still dealing with some pretty big drought conditions. It is fading, and that is a signal we have to pay attention to,” Snodgrass says.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey is also concerned about what impact the shifting pattern will have on farmers this spring. But it’s not just the dryness. It’s also the fact areas are getting inundated with rains that could pose problems.

“With this stormy weather pattern in place, that is going to create some difficulty for spring field work in some areas. It looks like the primary storm track may be through parts of the middle of the country extending into the lower Midwest and eventually the interior northeast. That is one area where we already have fairly wet conditions,” Rippey says.

How sea surface temperatures in the Niño-3.4 region of the tropical Pacific changed over the course of all La Niña events since 1950 (gray lines) and 2024-25 (black line). This shows the traditional calculation for Niño-3.4, the monthly temperature compared to the most recent 30-year average (1991–2020 for the 2024 line). By this measure, the La Niña threshold was crossed in December 2024, but La Niña remains weak.

(NOAA)

La Niñas and El Niños Are Strongest in the Winter
Snodgrass points out La Niñas and El Niños are always strongest in Northern Hemisphere’s winter, which means they fade in spring and summer.

While La Niña-like conditions were a trademark in late fall, we didn’t reach the official definition of La Niña until January.

“The atmosphere way back in November was already treating our winter timeframe like a La Niña,” Snodgrass says. So, we were getting the influences of it as it comes in and goes out. And now the question is, what’s it going to do?”

February 2025 sea surface temperature compared to the 1985-1993 average. The surface of the east-central tropical Pacific is slightly below average temperature, but much of the global ocean remains warmer than average.

(NOAA )

“This is a great map to look at,” Snodgrass says, referencing the map above. “If you focus right in the middle, you see the large area of the cooler colors. Our line is now shifting to the central and West Pacific and behind it over by South America. All of the warmer water is beginning to emerge. And that’s what’s killing it because there’s a trade wind across that area from the east to the west. We’re going to watch this fade carefully during the spring. But the question is: Do we get winter’s leftovers?”

What Fueled the Dryness This Winter?
During the winter, Snodgrass points out there was no subtropical jet. That’s what fueled drought in the Southwest and Northwest.

“I’m actually kind of worried about the beginning of April having another shot at cold air after what we’ve been experiencing in March, which has been so very, very mild. Then you say, well, we’ve had so much dry air in place. Are we still worried about more dry air coming back? To be honest, these big storm systems coming through the central U.S., if we could get four, maybe five more of those by early April, we’re going to hate it. It’s nasty weather. It’s not fun, and it’s dangerous, but it returns moisture. That could be part of the mix of things, including the fading of La Niña that could help bring us away from these major early season drought risk scenarios.”

55% of corn production, 46% of soybean production, 33% of the cotton growing area and 27% of the winter wheat production are currently experiencing drought.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

Growing Drought Concerns
What if it doesn’t? What if we don’t see more of this severe weather hit the Southwest and Plains, and moisture remains absent as we get into the height of spring? Well, the area will enter into the height of the growing season dry and reduce their chances of seeing moisture this summer.

“That’s a box we check every spring,” Snodgrass says. “If the drought monitor saw a reduction in drought over winter, then that gives us a different look for spring. But what we see here is two-thirds of the country in some stage of drought, including the abnormally dry category. But it’s the epicenters of drought that are so concerning. Look at the Western Corn Belt. Look at the Southwest. We just wonder if that funnels into the Mississippi Valley as we go forward.”

At the same time some areas are seeing drought, Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and the boot heel of Missouri are all experiencing heavy rains and flooding.

“By May 11, I want to know what the drought monitor map looks like. If it looks no different, then I’m going to be sounding alarms going into summer with concerns this will start to creep and move because as soon as we get into the summer weather, all we get is convective storms pop off. And what do they do? They just locally deliver rain - not big broad swaths of it,” Snodgrass says.

Tale of Two Weather Scenarios
He says the forecast leading up to May 11 is a tale of two weather patterns, with the Mississippi River being the dividing line for moisture.

“If you are along it and east of it, I think we’re going to have tight windows to plant. You could include a little bit more of Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota in that as well,” Snodgrass says. “I think we’re going to see repeated storm systems. The best moisture is east. It keeps avoiding that southern plains area.”

What to Watch: Where the Storm Chasers End Up
Snodgrass says if storm chasers are busying chasing severe weather across the Ohio Valley, the mid-south and the southeast, but not in Kansas and the Plains, that’s a key indicator there’s a problem with the moisture getting back into the plains.

“If it’s not there by the time we start June, it’s very difficult to rely on the atmosphere to return it once you get into the summer months if you live in the central plains, which is where they could build from,” he adds.

To watch the complete discussion with Snodgrass, visit Farm Journal TV and take advantage of the free trial.

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Ag Meterologists Worry More Drought Lies Ahead For Spring

Hope For Drought-Stricken Land? Your Winter Weather Outlook

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:57:17 GMT

What is it you remember from last year’s winter? Maybe it was when the wind chill in Kansas City brought temperatures down to -30°F and Patrick Mahomes’ helmet shattered in the middle of a playoff game. A more accurate representation of the season, though, is probably Wisconsin’s snowmobile industry dubbing the season a “lost winter” from the lack of snowfall.

Regardless of how we remember it, last year’s winter was incredibly mild, with temperatures well above normal and snowfall almost nonexistent. But according to Eric Snodgrass, senior science fellow at Nutrien Ag Solutions, the consensus is that the months ahead are going to look a lot different.

“We didn’t really have a winter last year,” Snodgrass says. “This year, we have a better chance of a storm track coming through the “I” states and out through the Ohio Valley toward the northeast. So, the forecast is a little wetter there with periods of colder air. It doesn’t mean it will get cold, stay cold and not stop snowing, but it’s certainly going to be different than a year ago.”

That’s because this winter brings about a 75% chance for La Niña to develop, which is when the trade winds across the equatorial Pacific are strong. With La Niña in the forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting wet conditions in the north and dry, warm weather in the south.

The 2024-2025 U.S. Winter Outlook map for temperature shows the greatest chances for cooler-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.

(NOAA)

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says La Niña can also bring chances for extreme cold events.

“Not every La Niña is like this, but I will say two prime examples were in 1989 and 2021 — that latter outbreak was when Texas pretty much lost power,” Rippey says.

Drought Dangers
With dry conditions in the forecast, Snodgrass says the big story this winter will be whether or not there will be enough moisture to work against the drought that has been building.

“The best winters for agriculture are the ones we hate and remember as being terrible — we get good, hard freezes and plenty of moisture comes in,” Snodgrass says. “If we don’t see that, we get into a situation where we become very dependent on spring rains and may have a conversation about 2025 drought risk.”

The 2024-2025 U.S. Winter Outlook map for precipitation shows wetter-than-average conditions are most likely across the Great Lakes region of the U.S.. Drier-than-average conditions are forecast for parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

(NOAA)

Snodgrass explains drought is often a multiseason effect, and Rippey says this one has been building since June.

“There’s been a four-fold increase in drought to now affecting about 50% of the country,” Rippey says. “That was great for summer crops, dry down and harvesting, but now the problem is what will happen with winter wheat, cover crops, pastures and range land.”

While much of the north will have the opportunity for relief from this growing drought, that likely won’t be the case in the south.

“We are expecting a generally warmer- and drier-than-normal winter across the entire southern tier of the United States, reaching all the way from Southern California to the middle and southern Atlantic coast. That does include important winter wheat production areas into the Southern Great Plains,” Rippey says. “There’s not much reserve right now in terms of soil moisture, and this could amplify already existing dry conditions.”

That brings concern for river transportation as the bump in water levels that came from Hurricanes Milton and Helene has worked its way through the system now.

“Historically, those levels tend to bottom out around January at the latest,” Rippey says. “We’re probably talking about a few more months of low water issues, and then you start to turn a corner around February because plants don’t use as much water during the winter.”

Timing Will Be Everything
Because winter is technically the country’s dry season, it won’t be easy to break drought in the months ahead. For the wet forecast in the north to make a difference, Rippey says it will all come down to timing.

“It’s important to start getting moisture before it gets too cold,” Rippey explains. “When you go into a cool season like this with limited soil moisture, if the cold air comes in too quickly, you freeze the soils before you get moisture, which can limit the absorption of rain and snow into those soils.”

The timing of when La Niña really starts to take effect will be important as well.

“December is going to be the month where we test if this La Niña really has what it takes to give us the things we expect,” Snodgrass says. “Normally, La Niñas peak around Christmas, and then they start to fade. If we miss that opportunity, we will watch all of the sub-seasonal things and hope they can deliver good winter weather to knock out the risk of drought going into 2025.”

But even with a few “drought risk” boxes being checked, it’s still too soon to speculate or worry about what next year’s growing season will look like.

“2022 had major fall drought, and then what happened? It rained in July, didn’t get terribly hot, and we had a decent crop. Indiana had one of its best crops ever in 2023, even though it was so dry in spring,” Snodgrass says. “We have to remember that the crop has many ways by which to stay alive and do well, and we’ve engineered that seed to be better performing even when there is some stress. We can’t make big, broad assumptions that 2025 is going to be a year of substantial drought risk that destroys yield.”

How Drought's Grip on the Mississippi River is Already Costing Farmers

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 14:40:26 GMT

For the third consecutive year, historically low water levels on the lower Mississippi River are impacting the supply chain. While it isn’t translating into lost export business for the U.S., it’s having a negative impact on basis levels as higher transportation costs are passed on to farmers in the form of lower cash prices.

According to Pro Farmer , a lack of rain has led to reduced barge draft and tow sizes along the Mississippi river system, causing delays and groundings near Hickman, Ky., according to USDA’s Grain Transportation Report.

Pro Farmer reports grain transport along the river has fallen below last year’s levels and the seasonal average.

The Drought Picture Plaguing the Corn Belt

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows just under 50% of the country is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought.

(U.S. Drought Monitor )

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows just under 50% of the country is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought. Sixteen states are seeing extreme drought and five states are experiencing exceptional drought.

Most of the increases in drought over the past week took place in the Eastern Plains, Midwest and South.

Precip amounts

(National Weather Service )

Impact of Lower Mississippi River on Soybeans

At St. Louis, water levels rebounded with ample rain during spring and early summer, but both declined significantly past mid-July. The same pattern followed at Memphis with the exception of a short-lived uptick in water levels due to Hurricane Helene.

“It did result in a pretty dramatic 15-foot-plus spike in a short period of time. But now we’re basically back where we were prior to the hurricane with low water levels resuming. The concern is that it impacts barge transportation,” says Mike Steenhoek, executive director, Soy Transportation Coalition.

Mississippi River Levels

(AgDay)

How Farmers Bear the Cost

Steenhoek says barge restrictions are once again lowering the number of barges in tow and how heavy barges can be loaded.

“Every foot of reduced water depth or draft is the equivalent of loading 7,000 fewer bushels of soybeans on an individual barge,” he adds. “You can see an overall reduction of 10% to 15% on the modest end of the spectrum all the way up to 30% to 40% reduction, which is really considerable.”

In turn, that raises barge freight rates and cash basis takes the hit.

“The shippers tend to not absorb that themselves. What typically happens is those costs are passed on to the farmer in the form of a lower price at that point of delivery or a more negative or wide basis,” Steenhoek says.

The timing couldn’t be worse for soybeans as it’s coming during harvest season and the peak export window.

“You’ve got to move the volume because South America is going to be a viable supply option come the first of the year or certainly not long after that,” says Alan Brugler of Brugler Marketing. “This is not ideal. Fortunately, the Panama Canal is in better condition than it was a year ago, so that’s one thing that’s different.”

However, more soybean exports will shift to the rail system to move through the Pacific Northwest, thus raising rail costs, which are also passed onto the farmer.

New Supply Chain Setbacks: Mississippi River Levels Hit All-Time Low

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 23:12:16 GMT

Levels of the Mississippi River in Memphis have just hit a new all-time low record of -10.77 feet. Meanwhile, companies are not loading as much cargo onto ships — so they can travel safely and not bottom out — while fewer barges are included in each tow.

According to the American Commercial Barge Line , the industry has agreed to a 25-barge tow max size, which translates into around a 17-38% reduction in capacity.

Dredging by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been helpful to keep the traffic flowing, but new challenging spots can surface any day.

“While the public and media generally understand that our economy depends upon viable international ocean shipping, trucking, and rail transportation, the essential role of our inland waterways is often overlooked,” said Peter Friedmann of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition . “Our members depend upon adequate water levels in the Mississippi River system, to reach domestic and international export markets. The low water disruption of the supply chain will be felt not only by our U.S. producers of food, farm, and fiber but also by U.S. and international consumers as well.”

More on river level impacts:

How Low Will it Go? Harvest Barge Traffic Slows Due to Low River Levels
Low Mississippi Water Levels a Growing Concern for U.S. Exports and Basis Levels at and After Harvest

Ohio River Closed Again as Water Levels Rise

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:18:53 GMT

Traffic along the Ohio River is seeing major hurdles this harvest season. Just last week, Lock & Dam 53 closed due to a break-down as the hydraulics that open and close the lower gate failed to work properly.

The issue popped up as barges along the Mississippi River were forced to haul at half-tow, as dry weather drained major waterways. The low river levels made it difficult for barge operators to move adequate product, which slowed down harvest with some farmers reporting they were being asked to store grain until the issue eased.

On Wed., Oct. 11, the U.S. Waterways Council said the issue this week is the rising river level. That forced the Ohio River to shut down to traffic at Locks & Dam 52 earlier in the week. With river levels already exceeding the maximum locking stage of 20.7 feet and expected to rise further through the end of the week, the Waterways Council expects limits to be placed on navigation until either Sunday or Monday.

As the hiccups on the river pile up this year, Deb Calhoun of the U.S. Waterways Council says more attention needs to be placed on improving an aging infrastructure system.

“In service since 1928, Locks and Dams 52 and 53 on the Ohio River are to be replaced by the Olmsted Lock and Dam which was authorized in 1988, but will not open until next year,” she said. “Once Olmsted is finished, Locks and Dams 52 and 53 will be removed.”

President Donald Trump also drew attention to the issue in June when he revealed his infrastructure plan using the Ohio River as a backdrop.

“Together, we will fix it,” the President said in his speech. “We will create the first-class infrastructure our country and our people deserve.”

Market Rally Commentary: U.S. Growers Losing Transportation Advantage

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:18:38 GMT

Shallow waters and repair issues have prompted a closure on part of the Ohio river and have raised concerns about the Mississippi this week. That, in turn, has brought on a spike in barge rates of up to 50 percent according to USDA.

Market Rally Radio host and Pro Farmer Editorial Director Chip Flory sounded off on the continuing river problems on his radio broadcast Monday. “Now if this lasts for a couple of weeks the guys that are shipping corn down the Ohio River are going to be in big trouble,” Flory warned. “Now what happens if it happens on the Mississippi? We’ve got to get out in front of it.”

Farmers report grain handlers urging on-farm storage until waterways improve and the crop along the southern Mississippi River is cleared.

“One area that we have almost always had the advantage on was the infrastructure and the shipping,” Flory told his Market Rally audience. “That is being tested right now. I mean we’ve got a 90-year-old technology that is plugging up the Ohio River. Are you kidding me? Let’s get this problem fixed!”

Listen to the entire Market Rally commentary on the river infrastructure problems in the player above.

Duarte Nursery Settles with Corps of Engineers for $1.1 million

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 03:41:30 GMT

John Duarte, a California nursery owner who was sued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for plowing a wheat field without a Clean Water Act permit, has reached a $1.1 million settlement with the federal government. A penalty hearing in the case was scheduled to being Tuesday, but instead Duarte agreed to pay a civil penalty of $330,000 and purchase $770,000 worth of vernal pool mitigation credits. Duarte also agreed to perform additional work on the site of the plowing, according to a statement by the Pacific Legal Foundation which represented Duarte in the case. Duarte did not admit liability under the agreement.

“This has been a difficult decision for me, my family, and the entire company, and we have come to it reluctantly,” said Duarte. “But given the risks posed by further trial on the government’s request for up to $45 million in penalties, and the catastrophic impact that any significant fraction of that would have on our business, our hundreds of employees, our customers and suppliers, and all the members of my family, this was the best action I could take to protect those for whom I am responsible.”

“John would have preferred to see this case through to trial and appealed the court’s liability ruling, which holds that plowing a field requires federal permission — despite the clear text of the Clean Water Act and regulations to the contrary,” said Pacific Legal attorney Tony Francois. “John and his counsel remain concerned that legal liability for farming without federal permission undermines the clear protections that the Clean Water Act affords to farming and poses a significant ongoing threat to farmers across the nation.”

The Corps of Engineers accused Duarte of improperly disturbing a wetland when he plowed the wheat field in 2012. The Corps claimed he was liable for millions of dollars in fines despite a provision in the Clean Water Act which exempts “established farming, ranching, and silviculture activities such as plowing, seeding, cultivating, minor drainage, harvesting for the production of food, fiber, and forest products, or upland soil and water conservation practices.”

Study: Less Fertilizer in Illinois River Leads to Good News for Gulf

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 02:59:22 GMT

By DAVID MERCER, Associated Press

The flow of nitrates from farm fertilizer and treated wastewater into the Illinois River that contributes to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico has fallen, a new study says. Researchers believe one likely factor, the use of newer, more robust varieties of corn, could make the drop a long-lasting one.

The study from the University of Illinois found that the level of nitrates dropped 10 percent between 2010 and 2014. Adding in data from 2015 that was not available when the study was being written, that level dropped by 15 percent, one co-author said.

“The varieties (of corn) that are planted these days and in the last few years are more robust in a lot of different ways,” co-author and agricultural engineering professor Greg McIsaac said, calling the reductions a “promising sign.”

The Illinois river drains almost half of Illinois, most of it primary corn-growing land in a state that produces about a sixth of the nation’s crop. The river also carries lightly treated wastewater from the Chicago area, which for more than a century has discharged it in through waterways that wind up in the Illinois to keep it out of Lake Michigan — a move that caused resentment further down the river.

The Illinois flows into the Mississippi River, which takes on additional nitrates and other chemicals that fuel the Gulf’s dead zone, a massive area of water with little to no oxygen that kills fish and other marine life. The dead zone has been a stubborn problem that federal officials want to address.

Data used in the study, which was published May 6 in the Journal of Environmental Quality, suggest that varieties of corn adopted in recent years grow more crop per acre and are better at resisting drought, disease and pests are making better use of nitrogen fertilizer. That means less is left in the field to wash away into the river, McIsaac said.

McIsaac cited the difference in corn crops in two drought years, 2012 and 1988. The 2012 crop, grown during the period of reduced nitrate flow, was “respectable” in spite of the drought.

“The corn yields in 1988 were pretty terrible, and that left a lot more nitrogen fertilizer in the fields — and a lot of that nitrogen fertilizer ended up in the river,” McIsaac said.

Experts on the effects of nitrates on water quality and aquatic life who were not involved in the study but read its findings say they are encouraging, and rare good news about the flow of chemicals into the Mississippi and the Gulf.

Watersheds in other states that feed the Mississippi, such as Iowa, have shown little or no improvement, said Nancy Rabalais, director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium and a marine ecology professor whose research has focused on the dead zone since the 1980s.

“If this is a trend of some kind of reversal because of some kind of agricultural improvements, that’s wonderful,” Rabalais said.

Charles Driscoll, a professor of environmental systems at Syracuse University, agreed.

“There are, I guess, few success stories,” Driscoll said. “I think it shows that maybe we can do something about this problem.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to eventually reduce the amount of nitrates and phosphorus, another fertilizer component that contributes to the dead zone, by 45 percent.

A smaller but significant source of nitrates is the treated wastewater from the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which comes in through a canal and the Des Plaines River.

While the authors are fairly confident that crop improvements are a primary reason for the reductions they found, they say they are not sure about potential reasons for the decreases found in wastewater.

A spokeswoman for the district said it has worked over the past five years to reduce both the phosphorous and nitrates it discharges.

“Early efforts show a reduction of nitrogen in addition to the phosphorus of between 30 and 40 percent,” spokeswoman Allison Fore said in an email.

The study’s findings are also potentially good news for water quality within the Illinois River basin. The city Peoria and its 186,000 residents, for instance, use the river for part of their drinking-water supply.