# Drought Pushes Mississippi River Grain Shipping Rate to a Record - Bloomberg

> Barge rates on the Mississippi River reached a record $49.88 per ton on Tuesday, up nearly 50% from a year ago, according to a government report. Drought has reduced the river's water levels, limiting how much corn and soybeans each vessel can carry.

- Date: 2022-09-28 · published 2022-09-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16680-drought-pushes-mississippi-river-grain-shipping-rate-to-a-record-bloomberg
- 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

Record freight costs cut the net price US farmers receive for grain sold to Gulf export markets, which pressures US corn and soybean basis. Limited barge capacity also slows export loadings.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-08-31 | [Barge Spot Rates Hit $23.34 a Ton as Mississippi River Water Levels Drop - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12851-barge-spot-rates-hit-23-34-a-ton-as-mississippi-river-water-levels-drop.md) | +1.5% | -6.4% |
| CORN | 2022-11-03 | [ANALYSIS - Ethanol producers drink to record low Mississippi River levels - Grain Price News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38671-analysis-ethanol-producers-drink-to-record-low-mississippi-river-levels-grain.md) | -0.6% | -3.9% |
| 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 | 2025-11-03 | [Mississippi River Decline Squeezes Grain Shipments and Basis Levels - RFD](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16409-mississippi-river-decline-squeezes-grain-shipments-and-basis-levels-rfd.md) | -0.7% | +2.3% |
| CORN | 2023-09-28 | [Shipping Industry Grapples With How to Adapt to Changing Mississippi River Flows](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16606-shipping-industry-grapples-with-how-to-adapt-to-changing-mississippi-river-flows.md) | +1.1% | +1.7% |
| SOY | 2023-08-31 | [Barge Spot Rates Hit $23.34 a Ton as Mississippi River Water Levels Drop - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12851-barge-spot-rates-hit-23-34-a-ton-as-mississippi-river-water-levels-drop.md) | -2.6% | -5.8% |
| SOY | 2022-11-03 | [ANALYSIS - Ethanol producers drink to record low Mississippi River levels - Grain Price News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38671-analysis-ethanol-producers-drink-to-record-low-mississippi-river-levels-grain.md) | +1.4% | -0.7% |
| SOY | 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) | -2.4% | +5.3% |

## Sources

- bloomberg.com: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-28/drought-hit-mississippi-river-puts-us-farm-trade-flow-at-risk

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