# Low Mississippi River limits barges just as farmers want to move their crops downriver | AP News

> About 60% of U.S. grain exports move by barge down the Mississippi to New Orleans, and falling river levels are limiting barge loads as farmers try to move crops downriver. Barges carry the equivalent of about 1,000 trucks each when lashed together.

- Date: 2023-09-17 · published 2023-09-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16602-low-mississippi-river-limits-barges-just-as-farmers-want-to-move-their-crops
- 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

Constrained barge capacity during harvest raises transport costs and export delays, which tends to weigh on interior cash grain prices and lift freight rates.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-09-29 | [Low water on the Mississippi River impacting barge traffic \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16679-low-water-on-the-mississippi-river-impacting-barge-traffic-ap-news.md) | +1.7% | +4.0% |
| CORN | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +5.0% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -1.8% | -6.6% |
| CORN | 2025-10-15 | [Low Mississippi River levels threaten fall grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16417-low-mississippi-river-levels-threaten-fall-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +0.1% | +2.9% |
| CORN | 2023-10-08 | [USDA Explores Third-Quarter Barged Grain Movements on the Mississippi River - Farm Policy News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16595-usda-explores-third-quarter-barged-grain-movements-on-the-mississippi-river.md) | -0.2% | -3.4% |
| SOY | 2022-10-06 | [Barges grounded by low water halt Mississippi River traffic \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16678-barges-grounded-by-low-water-halt-mississippi-river-traffic-ap-news.md) | +1.9% | +5.1% |
| SOY | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +2.9% | +4.0% |
| SOY | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -0.4% | -5.3% |

## Sources

- apnews.com: https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-river-drought-farmers-barges-e923b5f5e844ae278f42957b91d83f27

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