# US Gulf shipping costs climb for corn, soy | World Grain

> USDA data showed total US Gulf route costs for shipping corn and soybeans rose from Q2 to Q3 2023, with barge rates nearly doubling to $35.99 per tonne. PNW route costs fell slightly, and Gulf corn and soybean inspections fell about 25% year over year. Weekly inspections were down 36% from the prior week.

- Date: 2024-01-05 · published 2024-01-05T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16574-us-gulf-shipping-costs-climb-for-corn-soy-world-grain
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md)

## Why it matters

Higher Gulf barge and total freight costs reduce farm returns and shift export flows toward the PNW, while weaker inspections signal softer near-term export demand.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2018-10-31 | [U.S. freight costs continue upward climb \| 2018-10-31  \| World Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62425-u-s-freight-costs-continue-upward-climb-2018-10-31-world-grain.md) | +3.5% | -4.6% |
| CORN | 2026-06-18 | [Grain shipping routes see costs increase \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19021-grain-shipping-routes-see-costs-increase-feed-and-grain.md) | -0.9% | -1.0% |
| CORN | 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) | +0.5% | -3.5% |
| CORN | 2022-10-26 | [Water woes tighten capacity for ag shippers \| World Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16673-water-woes-tighten-capacity-for-ag-shippers-world-grain.md) | -1.2% | -3.3% |
| CORN | 2025-08-12 | [Rising Freight Rates for Grain Shipping from Ukraine](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14187-rising-freight-rates-for-grain-shipping-from-ukraine.md) | +0.0% | +4.3% |
| SOY | 2026-09-10 | [Soybean Shipping Costs Rise for US Exporters \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17636-soybean-shipping-costs-rise-for-us-exporters-feed-and-grain.md) | +0.3% | -2.9% |
| SOY | 2026-06-18 | [Grain shipping routes see costs increase \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19021-grain-shipping-routes-see-costs-increase-feed-and-grain.md) | +0.4% | +7.5% |
| 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% |

## Sources

- world-grain.com: https://www.world-grain.com/articles/19465-us-gulf-shipping-costs-climb-for-corn-soy

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