# Morning Coffee & Ag Markets

> A University of Arkansas newsletter dated August 26, 2024 warns that the Mississippi River at Memphis is heading to severely low levels for a third straight year. It explains that falling water reduces barge drafts, so each barge carries less grain and freight rates rise. The authors also note that low river levels weaken local cash basis at harvest.

- Date: 2024-08-26 · published 2024-08-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16517-morning-coffee-and-ag-markets
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

Reduced barge capacity raises freight costs and pushes down the cash bids elevators can pay, so soybean and corn prices at interior points tend to weaken relative to futures.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2021-05-14 | [Markets drop on post-USDA profit-taking: Grain market daily \| AHDB](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7463-markets-drop-on-post-usda-profit-taking-grain-market-daily-ahdb.md) | -4.9% | -6.4% |
| SOY | 2022-11-15 | [Low Mississippi River water levels drive up shipping costs - Marketplace](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38859-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-drive-up-shipping-costs-marketplace.md) | -0.3% | +2.6% |
| SOY | 2024-03-01 | [Chaos at Shipping Chokepoints \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/31092-chaos-at-shipping-chokepoints-farm-bureau-intel-markets-american-farm-bureau.md) | +2.5% | +5.6% |
| SOY | 2020-02-26 | [Sickness Spreads Through Freight Markets](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54524-sickness-spreads-through-freight-markets.md) | +1.6% | +0.9% |
| SOY | 2026-09-18 | [Shipping market: The good, bad and ugly \| World Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16764-shipping-market-the-good-bad-and-ugly-world-grain.md) | +1.1% | -1.2% |
| CORN | 2019-04-30 | [Marketplace®](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59753-marketplace.md) | +0.9% | +8.9% |
| CORN | 2021-05-14 | [Markets drop on post-USDA profit-taking: Grain market daily \| AHDB](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7463-markets-drop-on-post-usda-profit-taking-grain-market-daily-ahdb.md) | -3.9% | +1.6% |
| CORN | 2022-11-15 | [What is driving corn price volatility today - Fastmarkets](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38708-what-is-driving-corn-price-volatility-today-fastmarkets.md) | -1.3% | -5.1% |

## Sources

- myemail.constantcontact.com: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Morning-Coffee---Ag-Markets.html?aid=dTNBKaclCxc&soid=1141600777844

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