# Stuck in the Mississippi mud

> Drought and record-low Mississippi River levels have cut barge loads and forced smaller tows, raising river capacity costs. Barge spot rates in St. Louis reached $106 per ton in mid-October against a historical norm near $20, then eased to $88. Forward rates also stayed elevated.

- Date: 2022-12-21 · published 2022-12-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16665-stuck-in-the-mississippi-mud
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Reduced barge capacity and high freight rates lower the net price elevators can pay farmers for soybeans and corn in the Corn Belt. Export competitiveness at the Gulf also suffers.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2025-08-27 | [The Mississippi River is Set to Fall to Severe Levels for the Fourth Year in a Row](https://feedsoft.ai/events/23510-the-mississippi-river-is-set-to-fall-to-severe-levels-for-the-fourth-year-in-a.md) | -1.2% | -1.9% |
| SOY | 2023-02-28 | [River Rebound: Is the Shipping Crisis on the Mississippi Ending? - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16650-river-rebound-is-the-shipping-crisis-on-the-mississippi-ending-agweb.md) | +1.5% | -5.0% |
| SOY | 2019-06-13 | [Shipping On The Mississippi River Should Pick Up Next Week - WPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58794-shipping-on-the-mississippi-river-should-pick-up-next-week-wpr.md) | +2.9% | +2.1% |
| SOY | 2023-08-28 | [Will It Be Deja Vu on the Lower Mississippi River This Fall?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12855-will-it-be-deja-vu-on-the-lower-mississippi-river-this-fall.md) | -1.8% | -6.0% |
| SOY | 2024-10-16 | [As Harvest Ramps Up, the Lower Mississippi River Is Falling Again](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16504-as-harvest-ramps-up-the-lower-mississippi-river-is-falling-again.md) | +0.1% | +1.3% |

## Sources

- ajot.com: https://www.ajot.com/premium/ajot-stuck-in-the-mississippi-mud

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