The USDA weekly Grain Transportation Report showed barged grain movements up 14% week over week to 723,150 tons for the week ending May 16. Rail originations of 29,347 carloads were 18% above last year, and Gulf vessel loadings were 19% below last year.
Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan rose 6% to $72 per metric ton.
Higher Gulf-to-Asia ocean freight raises landed costs for U.S. grain into key markets and can narrow export competitiveness. The weekly mix of gains and declines points to routine rather than structural shifts.
Not enough comparable past events yet for a historical read.
Moves of each commodity's benchmark from the last close before the event. Historical reads pool past events of the same kind; they describe what happened, not what will. Not investment advice.