# Mississippi River Near Historic Lows, Grain Exports at Risk

> The lower Mississippi at Memphis dropped to -10.62 feet, just above its all-time low, and is forecast to stay below -10 feet into mid-October. Portions of the river have closed 22 times since September 1, with at least 36 groundings reported.

- Date: 2023-09-29 · published 2023-09-29T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16603-mississippi-river-near-historic-lows-grain-exports-at-risk
- 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), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md)

## Why it matters

A choke point between Midwest production and Gulf terminals during peak export season can delay corn and soybean shipments, raising freight costs and pressuring interior prices while competing Brazilian supply gains share.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.0% | — |
| CORN | 2023-11-06 | [CoBank – Strong US dollar, low Mississippi River limit grain movement & oilseed exports](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33357-cobank-strong-us-dollar-low-mississippi-river-limit-grain-movement-and-oilseed.md) | -0.5% | -0.9% |
| 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% |
| CORN | 2021-09-20 | [Ida, Nicholas Temporarily Halt Grain Exports From Lower Mississippi River - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/45000-ida-nicholas-temporarily-halt-grain-exports-from-lower-mississippi-river-the.md) | -4.3% | -4.1% |
| CORN | 2020-10-02 | [High Water Persists in Mississippi River System \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50542-high-water-persists-in-mississippi-river-system-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.3% |
| SOY | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.5% | — |
| SOY | 2023-11-06 | [CoBank – Strong US dollar, low Mississippi River limit grain movement & oilseed exports](https://feedsoft.ai/events/33357-cobank-strong-us-dollar-low-mississippi-river-limit-grain-movement-and-oilseed.md) | +0.5% | -1.6% |
| SOY | 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) | -2.0% | +6.0% |

## Sources

- maritimeprofessional.com: https://www.maritimeprofessional.com/news/mississippi-river-near-historic-lows-388359

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