As the US drought gets worse, one does not realize that barges transport 60 % of US crops of corn,soy and wheat to Louisiana for worldwide distribution over the Mississippi. The river is declining so rapidly that the barges might get grounded. So the barge industry is reducing 17 tons of freight for every inch of decline in the Mississippi's depth. This means, more trips for the barges leading to higher transportation costs. And if barge traffic stops due to a dry Mississippi, the land transport costs for produce will just zoom. This will make US exports less competitive in the global markets as the video alongside explains.
The 1988 drought closed the Mississippi waterway for a week, but since then the Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the river and things are much better. Let's hope that there is rain in the drought struck mid-west and southern US. Contact StratoServe.