# Barge traffic back to normal; lock closures loom | Profitability | farmweeknow.com

> Barge traffic on the lower Mississippi returned to normal levels south of Cairo for the typically slower winter season. Fertilizer barge contracts out of New Orleans were 15 to 20% above a year earlier. The Army Corps also planned to close three Upper Illinois River locks for rehabilitation from June 1 through September 30.

- Date: 2023-01-21 · published 2023-01-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16660-barge-traffic-back-to-normal-lock-closures-loom-profitability-farmweeknow-com
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Normal river levels lower near-term freight, but the planned lock closures could raise barge costs for Illinois grain and inputs during summer. Higher fertilizer contract rates would keep input costs elevated for the coming planting season.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Sources

- farmweeknow.com: https://www.farmweeknow.com/profitability/barge-traffic-back-to-normal-lock-closures-loom/article_ec4a473a-9838-11ed-ad4e-4f37e23429eb.html

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