Almost 70 percent of U.S. ag exports travel the upper

Hear the words of Jerry Costello, who speaks not of fancies but of the lifeblood of a nation: “Almost 70 percent of U.S. ag exports travel the upper Mississippi River and the Illinois waterway system.” At first glance, it is a statistic, a simple account of numbers. Yet within it lies a truth as old as civilization itself—that rivers are the veins of nations, and upon their currents flow the prosperity, survival, and destiny of a people.

The Mississippi River, mighty and enduring, is not merely water moving to the sea. It is the road of commerce, the highway of grain, the bearer of abundance. For centuries it has carried barges filled with corn, soybeans, wheat, and the harvest of fields that stretch beyond the horizon. The Illinois waterway system joins it, binding farms to ports, and ports to the great oceans. Thus do the fruits of American soil find their way across the earth, feeding nations, weaving bonds of trade, and sustaining livelihoods far from the heartland.

The ancients understood this truth well. Consider the Nile River of Egypt, whose yearly flood brought both hardship and plenty. Along its banks rose granaries, temples, and the might of the Pharaohs. Without the Nile’s waters, Egypt would have been but desert; with it, Egypt became the breadbasket of empires. So too, the Mississippi stands as a modern Nile, carrying the nourishment of a continent to the hungry mouths of the world. When Costello speaks of this river system, he speaks of a lifeline as sacred as any in history.

Yet, O listener, let us not hear this as a boast only, but also as a warning. For when so much—70 percent of exports—rests upon one path, the fragility of dependence is revealed. Should these waterways be blocked, should their health be neglected, should war or disaster fall upon them, the abundance of the nation and the stability of the world may tremble. Thus the words carry not only pride in abundance but also a call to stewardship, vigilance, and wisdom.

We are reminded of the tale of Rome, which relied upon the grain ships of Egypt. As long as the Nile’s harvest reached the harbors of Ostia, the city thrived. But when pirates or storms broke the chain, famine loomed over the empire. The lesson echoes across time: the strength of a nation lies not only in what it produces, but in how it moves its treasures. The path of grain must be guarded as surely as the sword.

Therefore, the teaching is clear: honor the rivers, protect the waterways, and cherish the channels through which life flows. To neglect them is to endanger prosperity; to steward them is to secure abundance for generations. For in every age, the rivers are more than nature—they are destiny.

So, O seeker of wisdom, let your actions follow this truth. Support the guardians of infrastructure, honor the farmers whose labor fills the barges, and respect the waters that carry the nation’s wealth. Just as the ancients offered sacrifices to their rivers, so must modern men and women invest care, technology, and foresight into these waterways.

And let the final lesson be etched upon your heart: “Almost 70 percent of U.S. ag exports travel the upper Mississippi River and the Illinois waterway system.” Do not hear this as mere number, but as a call to remember that prosperity depends upon unseen pathways. Guard the rivers, cherish the flow, and recognize that in their steady current lies the strength of the nation, the survival of the people, and the unbroken thread of life itself.