# Midwest drought prompts barge shipping concerns | Agriculture Dive

> American Commercial Barge Line cut draft limits by up to 20% and reduced tow sizes on the Lower Mississippi as river levels fell, with delays of up to 48 hours. The National Weather Service said barge capacity along the river was down 10% to 20%, and the river was nearly 10 feet below normal.

- Date: 2023-07-10 · published 2023-07-10T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16611-midwest-drought-prompts-barge-shipping-concerns-agriculture-dive
- 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

Shallower drafts and smaller tows raise per-bushel barge freight and slow grain movement to Gulf export positions, which can widen Gulf basis and weigh on Midwest cash prices.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2024-09-16 | [Low Mississippi River water levels disrupt barge shipping for third consecutive year \| Agriculture Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16507-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-disrupt-barge-shipping-for-third-consecutive.md) | +1.6% | +2.7% |
| CORN | 2024-11-27 | [Brazil grain barge shipping returns as Amazonian drought subsides](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13533-brazil-grain-barge-shipping-returns-as-amazonian-drought-subsides.md) | -0.1% | +6.2% |
| CORN | 2024-01-29 | [Ripple Effects of Shipping Lane Disruptions on U.S. Agriculture - farmdoc daily](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32018-ripple-effects-of-shipping-lane-disruptions-on-u-s-agriculture-farmdoc-daily.md) | -0.7% | -7.2% |
| CORN | 2020-11-30 | [Barge Restrictions Mean Shipping Complications on Mississippi River \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/49545-barge-restrictions-mean-shipping-complications-on-mississippi-river-feed-and.md) | -1.5% | -1.0% |
| CORN | 2023-10-09 | [How low Mississippi River water levels could disrupt grain harvests, again \| Agriculture Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16594-how-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-could-disrupt-grain-harvests-again.md) | -0.2% | -3.4% |
| SOY | 2024-09-16 | [Low Mississippi River water levels disrupt barge shipping for third consecutive year \| Agriculture Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16507-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-disrupt-barge-shipping-for-third-consecutive.md) | +2.6% | +1.9% |
| SOY | 2024-11-27 | [Brazil grain barge shipping returns as Amazonian drought subsides](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13533-brazil-grain-barge-shipping-returns-as-amazonian-drought-subsides.md) | +0.0% | +0.5% |
| SOY | 2024-01-29 | [Ripple Effects of Shipping Lane Disruptions on U.S. Agriculture - farmdoc daily](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32018-ripple-effects-of-shipping-lane-disruptions-on-u-s-agriculture-farmdoc-daily.md) | -1.7% | -6.1% |

## Sources

- agriculturedive.com: https://www.agriculturedive.com/news/midwest-drought-mississippi-river-barge-shipping/686018/

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