Urban C. Lehner
To a farmer in Nebraska or a retailer in New York, the Panama Canal is like air – noticed mainly when missing. Farmers noticed it in 2023.
Drought lowered water levels in the canal. Ships carrying American ag exports couldn’t use it. By some estimates, 25% to 30% of United States grain exports normally pass through the canal. During the drought almost none did. Shipping costs soared, farm-gate prices slipped.
Eventually the rains returned, the waters rose and ships resumed transiting. The canal went back to being taken for granted.
That’s too bad – and not just because the canal confers so many economic benefits. What’s especially under-appreciated is the herculean effort it took to build it. The canal is, without doubt, one of the greatest engineering and construction feats of all times.
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