Farmers who live along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers may begin to see improvements to locks and dams taking place in the near future. Thanks to the passing of WRDA (Water Resources Development Act), farmers will see transportation of their products become more efficient and competitive with foreign products once the improvements are made to the deteriorating locks and dams.

WRDA has not been updated since 2000. If Congress did not pass WRDA, foreign countries would likely begin looking for reliable suppliers to meet their food demands. This would spell trouble for American Farmers and Ranchers.

However, we can’t consider WRDA a done deal just yet. WRDA only authorizes the project and studies; it does not include funding for the projects. Funding for WRDA will require action by Congress, which likely won’t be looked at until sometime in 2008.

Take a moment to THANK your Senators and Congressman for passing WRDA and encourage them to support funding WRDA. One farmer and rancher at a time, we will make a difference!