Qualitative evidence is presented to contend that the predominant response of waterway grain shippers on the Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway to increases in barge shipping costs is most likely to be modal shift. Even so, modal shift faces serious constraints, moderating its ability to substitute for barges as waterway shipping costs rise. In addition, empirically derived estimates of demand price elasticities for barge transport are offered on four reaches of the river system. The elasticities are moderately inelastic, ranging from −0.7 to −0.3.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Economics Work Group.A Spatial Price Equilibrium Based Navigation System NED Model for the UMR–IWW Navigation System Feasibility Study. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi Valley Division, St. Louis District, Planning Division, St. Louis, Mo., July 6, 1998.
2.
Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies.Water Resources Council, Washington, D.C., March 10, 1983.
3.
GervaisJ.-P., and BaumelC. P.The Iowa Grain Flow Survey: Where and How Iowa Grain Producers Ship Corn and Soybeans. Presented at the 1996 Semisesquicentennial Transportation Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, 1996.
4.
LaveL., Gomez-IbanezJ. A., and MoreauD. H.Inland Navigation System Planning: The Upper Mississippi River–Illinois River [Congressional Briefings]. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., Feb. 27 and 28, 2001. Available from books.nap.edu/catalog/10072.html.
5.
YuT.-H., and FullerS. W.Estimated Grain Barge Demands for the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers: Tentative Findings.Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2003.
6.
GervaisJ.-P., and BaumelC. P.The Iowa Grain Flow Survey: Where and How Iowa Grain Producers and Country Elevators Shipped Corn and Soybeans During September 1, 1999–August 31, 2000.Iowa State University, Ames, October 2001.
7.
Carload Waybill Sample. Surface Transportation Board, Office of Economics, Environmental Analysis and Administration, Washington, D.C., 2002. Available from www.stb.dot.gov.
8.
VietT. Q., KienD. D., LyL. V., and OrskovE. R.Dried Rice Straw–Chicken Litter and Urea-Treated Rice Straw as Main Fodder Resources for Local Cattle in Dry Season. Presented at Workshop on Improved Utilization of By-products for Animal Feeding in Vietnam: NUFU (Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Programme for Development Research and Education) Project, March 2001. Available from www.vcn.vnn.vn/sp_pape/spec_5_4_2001-22.htm.
9.
WhitesideT. C.Oral Testimony on Behalf of Montana Wheat and Barley Committee Before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine, Oct. 23, 2003.
10.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Quick Stats: Agricultural Statistics Data Base, 2002. Available from www.nass.usda.gov/QuickStats/.
Summary of 2002 Confidential Detailed Waterborne Movements.U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterborne Commerce Statistical Center, New Orleans, La., 2002.
