# Shipping Industry Grapples With How to Adapt to Changing Mississippi River Flows

> Mississippi River levels are near historic lows for the second straight year, with drought across much of the basin slowing shipping and raising costs for barge companies and grain elevators. Shipping firms are adapting operations as low water becomes more frequent.

- Date: 2023-09-28 · published 2023-09-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16606-shipping-industry-grapples-with-how-to-adapt-to-changing-mississippi-river-flows
- 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

Persistent low water raises barge and elevator costs throughout the grain supply chain, which can widen interior basis and reduce farm-gate prices during harvest.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-10-06 | [The Mississippi River is reaching historic highs and lows — forcing the shipping industry to adapt \| NPR Illinois](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16597-the-mississippi-river-is-reaching-historic-highs-and-lows-forcing-the-shipping.md) | -0.5% | -4.9% |
| CORN | 2022-09-28 | [Drought Pushes Mississippi River Grain Shipping Rate to a Record - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16680-drought-pushes-mississippi-river-grain-shipping-rate-to-a-record-bloomberg.md) | +1.9% | +4.4% |
| CORN | 2026-06-01 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16363-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers.md) | -5.0% | -5.7% |
| CORN | 2021-09-13 | [Hurricane Ida threw teh barge industry into a tizzy along the Mississippi River](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44996-hurricane-ida-threw-teh-barge-industry-into-a-tizzy-along-the-mississippi-river.md) | +0.1% | -3.1% |
| CORN | 2026-01-27 | [Low water levels slowing grain flow down Mississippi River - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16391-low-water-levels-slowing-grain-flow-down-mississippi-river-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -0.7% | -0.4% |
| SOY | 2022-09-28 | [Drought Pushes Mississippi River Grain Shipping Rate to a Record - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16680-drought-pushes-mississippi-river-grain-shipping-rate-to-a-record-bloomberg.md) | -1.7% | -1.8% |
| SOY | 2017-10-02 | [Mississippi River Shipping Backlog Hits Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68347-mississippi-river-shipping-backlog-hits-farmers.md) | +0.4% | +0.7% |
| SOY | 2026-06-01 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16363-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers.md) | -5.0% | -4.5% |

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2023/09/28/shipping-industry-grapples-adapt

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