NEWBURGH, Ind. — Not only are inland waterways an integral part of grain transportation, using a barge to haul can put a couple of extra cents into growers’ pockets.

If one of the locks and dams along the Ohio River shut down and grain had to be hauled by other means, as much as 2 cents a bushel could be lost by Hoosier farmers, according to information provided during the Sept. 5 lock and dam tour sponsored by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA).

About 200 farmers, industry reps and political leaders cruised through the locks and dam at Newburgh, one of five systems on the Ohio River that connects the Midwest to the Mississippi River. Riding the deck of a barge was a pleasure and an educational experience.

The seventh annual Ohio River Lock Tour gave industry officials the opportunity to acquaint participants with the importance of U.S. inland waterways and maintaining infrastructure. “The inland waterways of the U.S. are the most economical transportation mode for grain and the best way to see how they operate is to experience them firsthand, said Joe Steinkamp, vice president of ISA, who farms in nearby Evansville.

“Without our river system, we lose our competitive advantage. We want the ag community to be educated on transportation issues so they can educate their politicians.”

Gerry Hayden, Kentucky Soybean Board, urged participants to tell their Congressional representatives how important the locks and dams system is to agriculture. Hayden said of the 3.3 billion bushels of soybeans produced last year, one-fourth was exported to China, half was used in the United States and the other fourth was exported to other countries.

At least two Indiana politicians were onboard for the tour. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Newburgh) talked to constituents while the towboat operated by Evansville Marine Service chugged past the historic Newburgh waterfront and by Warrick County’s largest employer, Alcoa.

There has been some success convincing Congress to support the infrastructure, according to Brandon Brummett, Louisville District outreach coordinator of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Water Resources Reform Development Act of 2014 is an authorization bill, he said. Signed into law June 10, the act does not fund any proposed river projects, he said, but it uncomplicates previous laws that governed lock and dam construction and maintenance.

The Corps’ headquarters is in the process of writing implementation for 34 construction projects. The new act also will allow construction of the new locks and dam at Olmstead – the last locking system before the Ohio joins the Mississippi – to continue at a faster pace, Brummett said.

The Newburgh Locks and Dam were built between 1969-75, he said, replacing an old locking system downstream towards the town. It has two locks, one 600 feet long and the other twice that size for larger tows. Modern tows usually consist of 15 barges, three across.

If for some reason the longer lock is not functioning, such a tow would have to be broken apart and the tow boat would have to go up and back several times to get through. That could take several hours.

At Newburgh, there is a 16-foot drop in the level of the river. Further east, the Falls of the Ohio near Louisville has a 27-foot drop, Brummett said. From its beginning in Pennsylvania, the Ohio River drops 420 feet as it flows to the Mississippi. There are 20 locks and dams on the river, he said.

Bucshon said the Water Resources Act is a significant policy reform with long-term advantages. For one thing, it restricts the use of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for just ports. In the past, he said, that fund has been used for several other things.

Bucshon, a heart surgeon from Newburgh, said he’d never been on a barge and the trip gave him a new perspective.

Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition (STC), added his support for the new water act. He likened U.S. agriculture policy to attaching a garden hose to a fire hydrant. “The United States can feed ourselves and the rest of the world,” he said. “But supply and demand just look at each other without connectivity. Transportation is the connection.”

Steenhoek said transportation is what makes a difference in U.S. and Brazil exports; Brazil does not currently have the infrastructure needed to expedite exports.

 The STC was established in 2007 and is comprised of the United Soybean Board, the American Soybean Assoc. and 12 state soybean boards. Its purpose is to promote a cost-effective, reliable, competitive transportation system that serves the agriculture industry.

The ag industry can provide a continual competitive advantage, Steenhoek said, if it is well-managed. “The table is set, but it is incumbent on us to work on our transportation system,” he said.

Leaders learn at locks

As part of their training as the 16th Ag Leadership Program Class, its 26 members joined the Ohio River Lock Tour, sponsored jointly by the Indiana corn and soybean checkoff organizations.

The group, with the program’s director, Beth Archer, spent two nights in New Harmony, meeting with corn and soybean industry leaders. This was the second session for this class, Archer said.

During the two-year program, the class will meet 12 times. Of those sessions, 10 will be in Indiana, in addition to a week in Washington, D.C., meeting with ag leaders, and a final session of two weeks in international travel. Archer doesn’t know yet where the international visit will take the class; all its members are already internationally experienced travelers.

She wants to go somewhere the group will expand its understanding of agriculture from a global perspective.

“They will study the depth and breadth of the agriculture industry,” she said.

Each session is planned to grow each member’s leadership skills and increase their awareness of ag policy, local governance and state and local economies, along with growing social skills, according to Archer, who has been the program’s director since 1991.

“Our goal is to expand their understanding and to help them in leadership roles, for whatever they do,” she said.

Members of this class are between 24-60 years old. In order to qualify, they must be established in their careers and be able to dedicate time away from jobs and families.

Tuition for the program is $15,000, of which members usually pay at least $5,000 personally. Archer said there is some tuition assistance available and considerable industry support.

The next session will be in West Lafayette, where members will meet with Purdue University staff to discuss ag policy and economics at the macro level and an update on the latest in ag science. Their D.C. trip is slated for February 2015.