# Barge Captain Shares Views on Water Levels & Freight - Mid-West Farm Report

> Barge captain Jimmy Cheatham says river freight is moving well for now, though corn shipments are slightly lower and demand for fertilizer and other farm products is rising. He expects no snowmelt to lift river levels this season because of the warm, mild winter.

- Date: 2024-04-08 · published 2024-04-08T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16551-barge-captain-shares-views-on-water-levels-and-freight-mid-west-farm-report
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Slower corn movement and firm fertilizer demand point to mixed freight pressure, and the lack of snowmelt raises the risk of low water later in the season.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼
- BARGE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-06-21 | [Barge Captain Shares River Level Update - Mid-West Farm Report](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16619-barge-captain-shares-river-level-update-mid-west-farm-report.md) | -3.2% | -12.0% |
| CORN | 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) | +1.0% | +3.8% |
| CORN | 2017-10-06 | [Report: Barge rates skyrocket amid Ohio, Mississippi river closures - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6120-report-barge-rates-skyrocket-amid-ohio-mississippi-river-closures-freightwaves.md) | -0.4% | -0.8% |
| CORN | 2023-09-18 | [High Barge Freight, Low River Levels Detrimental to Farmers at Harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34292-high-barge-freight-low-river-levels-detrimental-to-farmers-at-harvest.md) | -8.5% | -6.6% |
| 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% |

## Sources

- midwestfarmreport.com: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2024/04/08/barge-captain-shares-views-on-water-levels-freight/

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