# USDA: Grain barge delays from Mississippi flooding | Feed & Grain

> The USDA said barge traffic would be halted across a wide stretch of the Upper Mississippi River for weeks after record winter snowfall melted and flooded waterways. Locks and dams above Lock 17 were closed with no freight accepted, and closures could extend as far south as Lock 22. Barge freight rates fell as grain sales slowed.

- Date: 2023-05-01 · published 2023-05-01T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16625-usda-grain-barge-delays-from-mississippi-flooding-feed-and-grain
- 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

Halted barge movement forces grain and fertilizer onto costlier truck or rail, and weak barge demand lowers freight rates, which can widen basis at Mississippi-served elevators.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-05-26 | [Grain Shipment Disruptions from Mississippi Flooding](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16630-grain-shipment-disruptions-from-mississippi-flooding.md) | -4.9% | +0.1% |
| CORN | 2023-03-30 | [Mississippi Barge Rate Update](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16640-mississippi-barge-rate-update.md) | -0.5% | -3.0% |
| CORN | 2023-05-03 | [Mississippi flooding has limited impact on grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16632-mississippi-flooding-has-limited-impact-on-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +1.5% | -6.7% |
| CORN | 2024-02-26 | [Mississippi River Basin drought officially ends confirms USACE \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16562-mississippi-river-basin-drought-officially-ends-confirms-usace-feed-and-grain.md) | +0.5% | +7.8% |
| CORN | 2026-02-20 | [2025 barge grain movements rise despite weather challenges on Mississippi River System \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16383-2025-barge-grain-movements-rise-despite-weather-challenges-on-mississippi-river.md) | +1.4% | +8.9% |
| SOY | 2023-05-26 | [Grain Shipment Disruptions from Mississippi Flooding](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16630-grain-shipment-disruptions-from-mississippi-flooding.md) | +2.2% | +14.9% |
| SOY | 2023-03-30 | [Mississippi Barge Rate Update](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16640-mississippi-barge-rate-update.md) | +2.3% | -3.4% |
| SOY | 2023-05-03 | [Mississippi flooding has limited impact on grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16632-mississippi-flooding-has-limited-impact-on-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +0.9% | -9.7% |

## Sources

- feedandgrain.com: https://www.feedandgrain.com/grain-supply-chain/news/15384011/usda-grain-barge-delays-from-mississippi-flooding

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