# Drought debacle: How the Mississippi River's low water levels are hurting crop income | An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau

> AFBF economist Daniel Munch reports that nearly half of U.S. corn and soybean exports move through the Mississippi River system. The article cites an average of 65 million metric tons of bulk ag products moved by barge to New Orleans over the past five years. Low river levels for a fourth year are forcing lighter barge loads and higher transport costs.

- Date: 2025-09-30 · published 2025-09-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16428-drought-debacle-how-the-mississippi-river-s-low-water-levels-are-hurting-crop
- 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

Lighter loads and higher barge costs cut the net price of exported grain and weaken U.S. competitiveness. Harvest-time congestion adds pressure on farm-gate prices.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-11-30 | [Mississippi River levels, barge rates took a heavy toll on corn and soybean basis \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38861-mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean.md) | -3.9% | +1.9% |
| CORN | 2022-10-30 | [The Mississippi River is facing low water levels. It could make inflation worse : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39335-the-mississippi-river-is-facing-low-water-levels-it-could-make-inflation-worse.md) | -2.2% | -3.8% |
| CORN | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -1.8% | -6.6% |
| CORN | 2023-09-28 | [Low Mississippi River Levels Drive up Grain Transportation Costs \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16601-low-mississippi-river-levels-drive-up-grain-transportation-costs-farm-bureau.md) | +1.1% | +1.7% |
| CORN | 2022-10-24 | [Mississippi River record-low water levels ease some, but long-term forecast is dry » Yale Climate Connections](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39028-mississippi-river-record-low-water-levels-ease-some-but-long-term-forecast-is.md) | -1.1% | -1.4% |
| SOY | 2022-11-30 | [Mississippi River levels, barge rates took a heavy toll on corn and soybean basis \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38861-mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean.md) | -0.3% | +3.2% |
| SOY | 2022-10-30 | [The Mississippi River is facing low water levels. It could make inflation worse : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39335-the-mississippi-river-is-facing-low-water-levels-it-could-make-inflation-worse.md) | +4.6% | +5.0% |
| SOY | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -0.4% | -5.3% |

## Sources

- michiganfarmnews.com: https://www.michiganfarmnews.com/drought-debacle-how-the-mississippi-river-s-low-water-levels-are-hurting-crop-income

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