The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is set to begin work this fall on a project to deepen a 256-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and the Gulf of Mexico. 

The $245 million dredging pro­ject will make U.S. agriculture ex­­ports more competitive by al­­lowing vessels to carry heavier loads, reducing shipping costs for soybeans by 13 cents per bushel, according to research by the Soy Transportation...