Corn Growers Again Spurn Spring Flood

April 17, 2001

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is considering changes to its operation of dams on the lower portion of the Missouri River to raise the water level in the spring and lower it during the summer. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental activists contend this will protect birds and fish that have been listed as endangered or threatened. But the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) has re-emphasized its opposition to proposed changes Corps' Missouri River "master manual," because they would harm agriculture by reducing navigation and increasing the potential for spring rises.

"NCGA recognizes the recreation and environmental value of the river and will work with others to maintain and enhance recreational and environmental benefits," stressed Paul Bertels, director of production and marketing for the St. Louis-based NCGA. "However, we want these decisions to be based on science, not politics. And to date, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to produce the scientific evidence that justifies changing the Missouri Master Manual."

The NCGA continues to support the management of the Missouri River that places the highest priority on economic uses of the river such as flood control for farm land, navigation, irrigation and power generation. "Keeping the Missouri River navigable provides competition to rail rates and keeps and maintains farm land value," Bertels said. "A spring rise could actually threaten another endangered species: farmers and the communities they support."