# Old River locks closing impacts farmers’ bottom lines

> The Old River locks on the Mississippi are being drained for repairs for the first time in 46 years, with the closure set to last 75 days. Barges must now take a longer route through the Atchafalaya River, and some farmers must truck grain to ports about 90 minutes away.

- Date: 2022-08-30 · published 2022-08-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/16689-old-river-locks-closing-impacts-farmers-bottom-lines
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

A 75-day closure of a key Mississippi chokepoint raises freight costs and reduces Gulf-area bids for grain, which pressures soybean and corn prices in the affected region.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2024-02-01 | [Low River Levels are Creating Higher Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16570-low-river-levels-are-creating-higher-costs-for-farmers.md) | -2.7% | -7.7% |
| SOY | 2017-11-02 | [Lower River Water Levels Causing Concern for Farmers \| WMIX](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67872-lower-river-water-levels-causing-concern-for-farmers-wmix.md) | +0.7% | +0.5% |
| SOY | 2017-10-02 | [Mississippi River Shipping Backlog Hits Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68347-mississippi-river-shipping-backlog-hits-farmers.md) | +0.4% | +0.7% |
| SOY | 2017-10-03 | [Soaring river freight hits U.S. farmers - Grainews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/7541-soaring-river-freight-hits-u-s-farmers-grainews.md) | +1.0% | +1.6% |
| SOY | 2022-12-22 | [Mississippi and Ohio Rivers Hit Rock Bottom in Fall 2022](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16668-mississippi-and-ohio-rivers-hit-rock-bottom-in-fall-2022.md) | +1.9% | +0.6% |
| CORN | 2019-03-25 | [Flooding Impacts Corn Demand \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9646-flooding-impacts-corn-demand-red-river-farm-network.md) | -5.0% | -5.6% |
| CORN | 2024-02-01 | [Low River Levels are Creating Higher Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16570-low-river-levels-are-creating-higher-costs-for-farmers.md) | -4.7% | -6.6% |
| CORN | 2017-11-02 | [Lower River Water Levels Causing Concern for Farmers \| WMIX](https://feedsoft.ai/events/67872-lower-river-water-levels-causing-concern-for-farmers-wmix.md) | -3.6% | -4.7% |

## Sources

- wafb.com: https://www.wafb.com/2022/08/30/old-river-locks-closing-impacts-farmers-bottom-lines/

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