# Mississippi River Grain Freight Rates Fall - The Waterways Journal

> Downbound Mississippi grain barge rates were 29% below the five-year seasonal average as of Oct. 18. St. Louis rates fell $1.42 to $28.86 per ton after fall rains stabilized river levels and eased low-water restrictions, with ample empty barges available. Rates also fell south of Cairo.

- Date: 2026-10-23 · published 2026-10-23T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16331-mississippi-river-grain-freight-rates-fall-the-waterways-journal
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [DDGS](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DDGS.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

Lower freight costs improve interior-to-Gulf economics, increasing competition for supplies between exporters and processors and potentially shifting DDGS availability and prices.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: neutral
- DDGS: neutral
- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2019-09-27 | [Upper Mississippi River On The Rise Again - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56949-upper-mississippi-river-on-the-rise-again-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.5% | +0.9% |
| CORN | 2025-05-30 | [From Fields To Freight: Illinois Farmers Count On River Routes  - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24848-from-fields-to-freight-illinois-farmers-count-on-river-routes-the-waterways.md) | -0.3% | -4.7% |
| CORN | 2020-09-25 | [Grain Barging Returns To Upper Missouri With New Blencoe Facility - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51000-grain-barging-returns-to-upper-missouri-with-new-blencoe-facility-the-waterways.md) | +3.9% | +8.6% |
| CORN | 2019-09-19 | [Grounding Temporarily Closes Lower Miss - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56943-grounding-temporarily-closes-lower-miss-the-waterways-journal.md) | +2.3% | +4.2% |
| CORN | 2017-05-30 | [WEEKLY GRAIN MOVEMENT: Rising water slows Mississippi River shipping](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70890-weekly-grain-movement-rising-water-slows-mississippi-river-shipping.md) | -0.2% | -3.5% |

## Sources

- waterwaysjournal.net: https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2026/10/23/mississippi-river-grain-freight-rates-fall/

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