# Drought, cold disrupts river freight | Baking Business

> A winter freeze has frozen parts of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, compounding drought-related low water and restricting barge traffic on a key soft red winter wheat route. Reduced draft capacity has raised freight costs to Gulf export markets, and the Mississippi at St. Louis dipped below the 3.2-foot low threshold on Jan. 20-21. Kansas State economist Guy Allen noted that corn exports are running at a record pace.

- Date: 2026-01-29 · published 2026-01-29T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16394-drought-cold-disrupts-river-freight-baking-business
- Commodities: [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Higher freight costs push interior grain prices down relative to export values, and the strong Gulf export program keeps demand firm, so the basis widens for wheat and corn.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WHEAT | 2022-09-30 | [Low River Levels, Soaring Barge Freight Curb U.S. Grain Exports](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16682-low-river-levels-soaring-barge-freight-curb-u-s-grain-exports.md) | +0.4% | -10.7% |
| WHEAT | 2026-10-18 | [Global Grain Freight Costs Surge as Shipping Disruptions Threaten U.S. Export Competitiveness](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16761-global-grain-freight-costs-surge-as-shipping-disruptions-threaten-u-s-export.md) | +1.0% | — |
| WHEAT | 2021-03-04 | [Ocean Freight Rates Follow Rising Bulk Commodity Demand](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48316-ocean-freight-rates-follow-rising-bulk-commodity-demand.md) | -2.3% | -2.6% |
| WHEAT | 2026-10-22 | [Rising Ocean Freight Raises Costs for U.S. Grain - RFD-TV](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17245-rising-ocean-freight-raises-costs-for-u-s-grain-rfd-tv.md) | -0.7% | — |
| WHEAT | 2026-01-29 | [Low Water on U.S. Rivers Disrupts Grain Exports, Raising Costs for Ag Supply Chains - Agrolatam](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16395-low-water-on-u-s-rivers-disrupts-grain-exports-raising-costs-for-ag-supply.md) | -0.5% | +3.1% |
| CORN | 2017-10-04 | [River Freight Cost Pressuring Grain Prices \| 680 KFEQ](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68667-river-freight-cost-pressuring-grain-prices-680-kfeq.md) | -0.4% | -1.6% |
| CORN | 2017-10-03 | [Soaring river freight hits U.S. farmers - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7541-soaring-river-freight-hits-u-s-farmers-grainews.md) | -0.7% | -1.5% |
| CORN | 2023-10-06 | [Low river levels, barge freight, and widening basis](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16596-low-river-levels-barge-freight-and-widening-basis.md) | -0.5% | -4.9% |

## Sources

- bakingbusiness.com: https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/65567-drought-cold-disrupts-river-freight

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