What kind of businesses use the Mississippi River?

Question

I am doing a project about the Mississippi River. I need to know different businesses that use it and what would happen if they couldn't use it anymore. (In other words, how it would affect them and us.)

For the record man, it's not in my history book. It's for science. And it's an extension project so it wouldn't be in the book. Try being a little nicer, eh?

Answer 1

A lot of the water cargo on the river is agricultural commodities. Corn, soybeans and things like that are regularly shipped on the river. Also wood chips and sometimes trees used for pulp production by paper mills are shipped by barge. Gravel and other materials are sometimes shipped by barges as well but I'm not sure how much specifically on the Mississippi River. There are also oil companies who transport fuels and oil by barge and rely heavily on MS River transportation.

I think the biggest reason for the use of barge transportation is that so much material can be shipped at one time. A barge shipment say of corn to an elevator can contain hundreds of truckloads of corn that would have otherwise been much more costly to ship via freight truck.

If the river transportation weren't an option, it would result in an increase in the price of some of the goods that we use every day.

Answer 2

Originally the goal was to purchase just the Port of New Orleans. When offered the entire Louisiana region, the Americans jumped at the chance. The port would have supplied and outlet for American products (cotton, rice, indigo were major cash crops in the South) With access to the interior, the fur trade flourished while cities such as Chicago and St Louis became boom towns.

Answer 3

Barge companies (transport goods up and down the river), Oil companies (use the barges to send and recieve crude oil), power companies (use the river as a source of water for heat exchange), several factories (for discharge), and many others.

Answer 4

Transportation businesses, like cargo to carry goods to different parts of world. If they couldn't use it anymore, they and US would lose lots of money, because we can't export and import anymore. There are other routes, but for some goods and countries, this route is very convenient.

Answer 5

Read your History book... Why look for the easy way out?

Answer 6

Businesses that cleans and helps purify water.