# Drought & River Transport Impact on Corn Competitiveness (report)

> Drought has reduced Mississippi River barge traffic for a second straight year, with shallower levels forcing weight restrictions and slower movements. Barge grain movements dropped sharply from July 2022 and stayed below average. The National Corn Growers Association says the result is lower farmgate corn prices and higher shipping costs for overseas buyers.

- Date: 2023-12-01 · published 2023-12-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16578-drought-and-river-transport-impact-on-corn-competitiveness-report
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Barge weight limits raise freight costs and widen the basis at inland origins, which lowers farmgate corn prices while raising delivered costs for export buyers.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2024-04-05 | [Drought Conditions Improving in Much of Midwest \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13192-drought-conditions-improving-in-much-of-midwest-red-river-farm-network.md) | -2.2% | -0.4% |
| CORN | 2025-07-31 | [Corn and Soybean Drought Conditions improve - Pro Farmer](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13070-corn-and-soybean-drought-conditions-improve-pro-farmer.md) | -2.0% | -1.7% |
| CORN | 2023-08-09 | [Drought drives big drop in wheat and oat forecast amid long-term shift to corn and soybeans — Spot On South Dakota](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34647-drought-drives-big-drop-in-wheat-and-oat-forecast-amid-long-term-shift-to-corn.md) | -3.0% | -2.6% |
| CORN | 2026-10-27 | [CBoT corn drops on US harvest pressure - Markets - Business Recorder](https://feedsoft.ai/events/421-cbot-corn-drops-on-us-harvest-pressure-markets-business-recorder.md) | +0.0% | — |
| CORN | 2024-08-23 | [4 Maps That Show Drought Is Of Little Concern Right Now for Corn and Soybeans - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13159-4-maps-that-show-drought-is-of-little-concern-right-now-for-corn-and-soybeans.md) | +0.2% | +6.1% |

## Sources

- ncga.com: https://www.ncga.com/stay-informed/media/the-corn-economy/article/2023/12/drought-and-river-transport-impact-on-corn-competitiveness
- waterwayscouncil.org: https://www.waterwayscouncil.org/media/in-the-news/article/2023/12/drought-and-river-transport-impact-on-corn-competitiveness-report

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