Investigation of Missouri’s Commodity Flows and Infrastructure
This study, commissioned by the Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association, and the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority, investigated Missouri’s intrastate and interstate commodity flows and the associated infrastructure.
For an industry to achieve efficiency and maintain competitiveness, transportation infrastructure must be continuously addressed. If infrastructure deteriorates, moving agricultural commodities such as corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and wheat to market becomes inefficient in terms of time and cost.
The purpose of this research was to understand Missouri’s current intrastate and interstate infrastructure in relation to moving farm commodities to market, provide context to objectively assess the infrastructure’s current status, and identify ways to improve the flow of farm commodities to market.
The Challenge
To provide objective insights for industry stakeholders and create a foundation for informed decision-making to enhance the efficiency and resilience of Missouri’s agricultural supply chain.
The Results
Our findings include providing a deeper understanding of how commodities (corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and wheat) move from the farm to first-processing locations and that bridge deterioration in rural locations, current road conditions, and related factors may hinder the efficiency of Missouri’s commodity flow and infrastructure.