# Barge Spot Rates Hit $23.34 a Ton as Mississippi River Water Levels Drop - Bloomberg

> Barge spot rates at St. Louis reached $23.34 a ton as of Aug. 29, up 49% from the prior week and 42% from a year earlier, according to USDA data. Shrinking Mississippi River water levels are driving the increase, with below-average rainfall forecast.

- Date: 2023-08-31 · published 2023-08-31T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/12851-barge-spot-rates-hit-23-34-a-ton-as-mississippi-river-water-levels-drop
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Higher barge freight raises the cost of moving grain from the Midwest to export positions and tends to weaken local cash basis, lowering farm-gate and interior prices relative to futures.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- CORN: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BARGE | 2023-08-29 | 1 | +48.0% | 2.6 | Reports the St. Louis spot rate hit $23.34/t as of Aug 29, up 49% week over week, matching the observed move, though published after the move date so it is confirmation rather than a cause. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2024-09-09 | [Mississippi River restricts barges as water levels drop - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16511-mississippi-river-restricts-barges-as-water-levels-drop-dredgewire-dredgewire.md) | +1.0% | +4.9% |
| CORN | 2023-09-07 | [Barge rates pressured by low Mississippi River water levels \| Supply Chain Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34291-barge-rates-pressured-by-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-supply-chain-dive.md) | -1.2% | -6.8% |
| CORN | 2022-09-28 | [Drought Pushes Mississippi River Grain Shipping Rate to a Record - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16680-drought-pushes-mississippi-river-grain-shipping-rate-to-a-record-bloomberg.md) | +1.9% | +4.4% |
| CORN | 2022-11-04 | [Decade-low water levels on Mississippi River slow barges, disrupt food supply chain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10335-decade-low-water-levels-on-mississippi-river-slow-barges-disrupt-food-supply.md) | -0.9% | -4.5% |
| CORN | 2025-09-25 | [Low water levels return to Mississippi River as harvest season begins \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16423-low-water-levels-return-to-mississippi-river-as-harvest-season-begins-feed-and.md) | -2.5% | -1.8% |
| SOY | 2024-09-09 | [Mississippi River restricts barges as water levels drop - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16511-mississippi-river-restricts-barges-as-water-levels-drop-dredgewire-dredgewire.md) | -0.3% | +4.9% |
| SOY | 2023-09-07 | [Barge rates pressured by low Mississippi River water levels \| Supply Chain Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34291-barge-rates-pressured-by-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-supply-chain-dive.md) | -1.8% | -6.4% |
| SOY | 2022-09-28 | [Drought Pushes Mississippi River Grain Shipping Rate to a Record - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16680-drought-pushes-mississippi-river-grain-shipping-rate-to-a-record-bloomberg.md) | -1.7% | -1.8% |

## Sources

- bloomberg.com: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-31/freight-rates-soar-as-mississippi-river-water-levels-decline
- freightwaves.com: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/barge-rates-on-the-mississippi-rise-as-water-levels-fall
- ttnews.com: https://www.ttnews.com/articles/freight-rates-mississippi

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.