# Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk | Feed & Grain

> Falling water on the lower Mississippi River is raising barge costs for fall grain exports. ACBL expects the Memphis gauge to reach 0 feet Sunday, will trigger low-water protocols and surcharges, and has cut tow sizes by 13%. Arkansas research finds Southern farmers are most likely to absorb higher freight through weaker local basis.

- Date: 2026-10-26 · published 2026-10-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain
- 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 and tow cuts raise the cost of moving grain to Gulf export terminals, which weakens Southern cash basis and pressures local corn and soybean prices during peak export season.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-09-21 | [Barge loads reduced as low water impacts Mississippi River \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16605-barge-loads-reduced-as-low-water-impacts-mississippi-river-feed-and-grain.md) | -0.2% | +0.5% |
| CORN | 2023-09-29 | [Mississippi River Near Historic Lows, Grain Exports at Risk](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16603-mississippi-river-near-historic-lows-grain-exports-at-risk.md) | +1.9% | +0.9% |
| CORN | 2020-10-02 | [High Water Persists in Mississippi River System \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50542-high-water-persists-in-mississippi-river-system-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.3% |
| 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% |
| CORN | 2025-11-03 | [Mississippi River Decline Squeezes Grain Shipments and Basis Levels - RFD](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16409-mississippi-river-decline-squeezes-grain-shipments-and-basis-levels-rfd.md) | -0.7% | +2.3% |
| SOY | 2020-10-02 | [River Woes Push Basis Lower \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50835-river-woes-push-basis-lower-feed-and-grain.md) | +2.6% | +2.8% |
| SOY | 2023-09-21 | [Barge loads reduced as low water impacts Mississippi River \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16605-barge-loads-reduced-as-low-water-impacts-mississippi-river-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.3% | -0.7% |
| SOY | 2023-09-29 | [Mississippi River Near Historic Lows, Grain Exports at Risk](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16603-mississippi-river-near-historic-lows-grain-exports-at-risk.md) | -1.5% | -1.6% |

## Sources

- feedandgrain.com: https://www.feedandgrain.com/grain-supply-chain/transportation/news/15975445/low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk

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