September 18, 2023

Barges float in the Mississippi River as a portion of the riverbed is exposed, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in St. Louis. A long stretch of hot, dry weather has left the Mississippi River so low that barge companies are reducing their loads just as Midwest farmers are preparing to harvest their crops and send tons of corn and soybeans downriver to the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)