# Water isn’t rising on Mississippi, but barge rates have steadied for now - FreightWaves

> Barge rates on the Mississippi slipped to 549 from 556 in the USDA weekly report, but remained well above the 466 level of September 20. Water levels showed no sign of recovery, though the Corps of Engineers has dredged and barge companies have imposed load restrictions. Current rates are about 52 percent of last year's first-week-of-October level of 1,045.

- Date: 2023-10-09 · published 2023-10-09T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16598-water-isn-t-rising-on-mississippi-but-barge-rates-have-steadied-for-now
- 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

Stable barge rates suggest freight costs are no longer climbing, which limits further basis pressure at river elevators. Rates remain elevated compared with early September, so basis stays weak near the river.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2026-10-23 | [Mississippi River Grain Freight Rates Fall - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16331-mississippi-river-grain-freight-rates-fall-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.6% | — |
| CORN | 2023-03-30 | [Mississippi Barge Rate Update](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16640-mississippi-barge-rate-update.md) | -0.5% | -3.0% |
| CORN | 2019-09-17 | [A rising Mississippi River is raising industrial sector worries](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57250-a-rising-mississippi-river-is-raising-industrial-sector-worries.md) | +1.7% | +4.7% |
| CORN | 2019-06-21 | [Armada of barges cleared for Mississippi River shipments after floods](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58495-armada-of-barges-cleared-for-mississippi-river-shipments-after-floods.md) | +0.2% | -2.4% |
| CORN | 2021-06-23 | [Low water levels in the Mississippi River create issues for commercial boating - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46469-low-water-levels-in-the-mississippi-river-create-issues-for-commercial-boating.md) | +2.8% | -5.4% |
| SOY | 2023-02-06 | [Rising water levels on the Mississippi but supply chain issues persist - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/37495-rising-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-but-supply-chain-issues-persist.md) | +0.7% | +0.6% |
| SOY | 2023-03-30 | [Mississippi Barge Rate Update](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16640-mississippi-barge-rate-update.md) | +2.3% | -3.4% |
| SOY | 2019-06-21 | [Armada of barges cleared for Mississippi River shipments after floods](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58495-armada-of-barges-cleared-for-mississippi-river-shipments-after-floods.md) | -3.0% | -1.5% |

## Sources

- freightwaves.com: https://www.freightwaves.com/news/water-isnt-rising-on-mississippi-but-barge-rates-have-steadied-for-now

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