Farm interests remain worried the Missouri River will fail to support a full season of barge traffic again next year. In fact, it seems the Army Corps of Engineers all but promises a shortened season in its latest operating plan for the river. Randy Asbury with the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River understands the Corps is trying to conserve water in the upstream reservoirs, because of lingering drought. Asbury says a lack of barges on the Missouri River this year left some corn on the ground. The Corps shortened the barge season by 47 days when it shut off flows from the upstream dams. The Corps warns the season could be shortened between 27 and 61 days next year, unless adequate snowfall this winter ends the drought.
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