# Mississippi River Decline Squeezes Grain Shipments and Basis Levels - RFD

> Low Mississippi River levels have cut southbound grain shipments by roughly 79 percent since early harvest, with soybean movement down nearly 90 percent. Gauges at St. Louis and Memphis are near record lows, and barge costs have risen sharply.

- Date: 2025-11-03 · published 2025-11-03T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16409-mississippi-river-decline-squeezes-grain-shipments-and-basis-levels-rfd
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Higher barge freight and reduced river capacity widen basis discounts for Midwest corn and soybeans and can shift export business toward Brazil and Argentina.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.0% | — |
| CORN | 2024-09-04 | [Low water levels on the Mississippi River impact barges and grain exports before harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16513-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-impact-barges-and-grain-exports.md) | -1.4% | +4.9% |
| CORN | 2023-08-30 | [Corn basis following Mississippi River levels downward](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12852-corn-basis-following-mississippi-river-levels-downward.md) | -0.0% | -8.2% |
| CORN | 2026-01-27 | [Low water levels slowing grain flow down Mississippi River - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16391-low-water-levels-slowing-grain-flow-down-mississippi-river-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -0.7% | -0.4% |
| CORN | 2025-10-15 | [Low Mississippi River levels threaten fall grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16417-low-mississippi-river-levels-threaten-fall-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +0.1% | +2.9% |
| SOY | 2025-10-01 | [Low Mississippi River Levels Pressure Grain Barge Movement - RFD-TV](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16421-low-mississippi-river-levels-pressure-grain-barge-movement-rfd-tv.md) | +2.0% | +7.6% |
| SOY | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.5% | — |
| SOY | 2024-09-04 | [Low water levels on the Mississippi River impact barges and grain exports before harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16513-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-impact-barges-and-grain-exports.md) | -2.0% | +6.0% |

## Sources

- rfdtv.com: https://www.rfdtv.com/mississippi-river-decline-squeezes-grain-shipments-and-basis-levels

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