# DVIDS - News - Spring arrives on the Upper Mississippi River as first tows reach St. Paul, MN

> The first tows of the 2026 Upper Mississippi navigation season locked through Lock and Dam 2 at Hastings, Minnesota, on March 23 and reached St. Paul. The lockage marks the unofficial season start, with four more tows following immediately.

- Date: 2026-03-24 · published 2026-03-24T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16375-dvids-news-spring-arrives-on-the-upper-mississippi-river-as-first-tows-reach-st
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

An early reopening of the upper river lets grain and fertilizer barges move sooner, which can ease river freight tightness and modestly weigh on barge rates and Midwest basis for barge-dependent grain.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Sources

- dvidshub.net: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/561199/spring-arrives-upper-mississippi-river-first-tows-reach-st-paul-mn

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