Page 2—Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 4, 2000 Corn Growers Say River Development Is Key To U.S. Agriculture ST. LOUIS, Mo.-Improv ing the capacity of the locks and dams on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers remains a top priority for the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) to maintain farm ing’s profitability. “The future of agriculture rests on drastically needed improvements along the Mis sissippi and Illinois rivers,” said Greg Guenther, a farmer from Belleville, 111., and a member of the NCGA’s Corn Board. NCGA supports the Corps of Engineers plan to double the capacity of the 600-foot chambers at the Mississippi River Lock and Dam 25, 24, 22, 20 and 21 and LaGrange and Peoria locks on the Illi- BUY, SELL, TRADE OR RENT THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED ADS IN Lancaster Farming PHONE 717-626-1164 OR 717-394-3047 FAX 717-733-6058 Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 AM to 5 PM Thurs. 7 AM to 5 PM nois River. To further im prove the river’s efficiency, NCGA is pushing for the ex tension of guide walls at Mis sissippi Lock and Dam 18-14. The upgrade will cost $1.5 billion and take about 20 years to complete. Many of the locks and dams are either at or beyond their designed capacity, af fecting both grain going south and products such as coal and steel moving north. “They are more than 60 years old and were only designed to last 50 years. The Corps did a great job with the design and operation, but we need to move U.S. river transporta tion into the 21st Century,” Guenther said. Here’s one example of the There Is A Loudly Proclaiming The News Of A Revolution In Rotary Combine Technology. Perhaps They Don't Realize That The Revolution Took Place Over 20 Years Ago. That's When Hoober Introduced The Case IH Rotary Axial-Flow Combine. Since Then Case IH Has Become The Unquestioned Leader In Rotai y Combine Technology. Hoober Has Sold And Serviced More Rotary Axial-Row Combines Than Any Other Eastern Dealer. The Simple Truth Is That Over The Past Three Decades, □xm river’s importance. Every year during the 19905, lowa farmers shipped an average of 203 million bushels of corn and 66 million bushels of soy beans on the Mississippi River. In addition, a large volume of lowa grain is railed or trucked to the Illinois River for shipment. For corn, the Mississippi shipments equal more than one of every eight rows grown in lowa. “Efficient river transporta tion supports grain prices from South Dakota to Ohio. The improved river system protects our export market by making us competitive in spite of our higher produc tion costs. Our competitive ness is not based on our cost of production, but on our V /\ \ (it\ THREE LOCATIONS i: ' i ) / , "c/ 'V i, h p \ INTERCOURSE, PA 800 732-0017 I (GdDIH TMJI MIMS PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC. ability to deliver corn to deep-water ports at a lower cost than other countries.” Guenther has personally seen what the competition offers. He has visited Argen tina’s answer to the Missis sippi, the Parana River, and viewed the $650 million up grade of Argentina’s barge system. “They have 2,200 miles of river system with not one single lock. They don’t have three-day waits to move , y* *< *1 7 Case IH Combines Have Put More Quality Gram In The Tank Than The In Addition, Hoober Has A Complete Staff Of Service Technicians That Devotes 100% Of Their Time To Combine Service. So While Some Say That Introducing A Rotary Combine In 1999 Is A REVOLUTION, The Question Is, ... For Proven Rotary Combines Backed By People Who Know Rotary Combines, Call Hoober... Your Case IH Dealer. MIDDLETOWN, DE 800 341-4028 15 barges through. It’s a super highway to them,” Guenther said. “If U.S. fanners can’t move agricultural products efficiently and cheaply, the United States will become less and less competitive in export markets and we will lose domestic markets as well,” Guenther said. “Unless we make the im provements along the river, U.S. agriculture will pay the price.” , L LLi* McAUSTERVILLE, PA 800 433-6679
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