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Barge captain Jimmy Cheatham says the lower Mississippi rarely shuts down and still moves large tonnage in winter, while the Upper Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio systems typically close or slow due to ice. River levels remain low in many places after multiple years of drought, and St. Louis-south navigation is treacherous with barges loaded to about 25 feet.
Low water and ice restrict barge capacity on the main US grain export corridor, raising freight costs and pushing up CIF NOLA basis for corn and soybeans. Tighter river logistics support export-linked grain prices and widen the gap between Gulf and interior values.
sfntoday.comFeb 26, 2026Not enough comparable past events yet for a historical read.
After 284 past neutral logistics events, Corn moved a median -0.0% over 5 sessions (49% higher; middle half -1.3% to +1.4%), and -0.2% over 20.
After 230 past neutral logistics events, Soybeans moved a median +0.4% over 5 sessions (55% higher; middle half -1.4% to +2.0%), and +0.1% over 20.
Moves of each commodity's benchmark from the last close before the event. Historical reads pool past events of the same kind; they describe what happened, not what will. Not investment advice.
