# Rising Freight Costs Reshape Global Soybean Competition - RFD

> USDA Agricultural Marketing Service analysis shows transport costs for U.S. and Brazilian soybean exports rose from Q2 to Q3 2025, driven mainly by higher barge and ocean freight. Low Mississippi River water levels and firm ocean demand lifted U.S. barge rates, while Brazil's truck and ocean costs also climbed, with transport reaching up to 27% of Brazil's landed cost into China.

- Date: 2026-01-19 · published 2026-01-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region Global · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/21222-rising-freight-costs-reshape-global-soybean-competition-rfd
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Ocean Grain Freight](https://feedsoft.ai/c/OCEANFRT.md)

## Why it matters

Higher freight narrows the margin advantage of exporters and shifts landed-cost competitiveness between U.S. and Brazilian soybeans into China, supporting soybean and meal prices at origin where freight is elevated.

## Read by commodity

- SBM: neutral
- SOY: bullish ▲
- BARGE: bullish ▲
- OCEANFRT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2026-02-09 | [Lower Ocean Freight Costs Boost Grain Export Competitiveness -](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16879-lower-ocean-freight-costs-boost-grain-export-competitiveness.md) | +1.6% | +5.9% |
| SOY | 2026-02-23 | [High barge freight keeps US corn and soybean CIF NOLA elevated \| S&P Global](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16388-high-barge-freight-keeps-us-corn-and-soybean-cif-nola-elevated-s-and-p-global.md) | +1.7% | +2.1% |
| SOY | 2025-02-06 | [Soybean, corn barge bids firm, following freight up](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16474-soybean-corn-barge-bids-firm-following-freight-up.md) | -2.8% | -4.1% |
| SOY | 2020-03-24 | [Soybean meal futures rose amid concern on trade logistics - The Global Herald](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6173-soybean-meal-futures-rose-amid-concern-on-trade-logistics-the-global-herald.md) | -0.2% | -6.0% |
| SOY | 2019-08-16 | [Mississippi River Congestion Still Weighs on Soybean Market](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57485-mississippi-river-congestion-still-weighs-on-soybean-market.md) | -0.2% | +3.1% |
| SBM | 2024-01-26 | [Freight through Suez Canal down 45% since Houthi attacks - UNCTAD \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32020-freight-through-suez-canal-down-45-since-houthi-attacks-unctad-reuters.md) | +0.7% | -6.3% |
| SBM | 2020-04-22 | [Aquafeed.com \|
   

   
    Expected issues in the Brazilian soybean supply chain in a new record production year](https://feedsoft.ai/events/53491-aquafeed-com-expected-issues-in-the-brazilian-soybean-supply-chain-in-a-new.md) | -2.5% | -1.6% |
| SBM | 2017-06-27 | [Chokepoints and Vulnerabilities in Global Food Trade](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70334-chokepoints-and-vulnerabilities-in-global-food-trade.md) | +6.1% | +8.2% |

## Sources

- rfdtv.com: https://www.rfdtv.com/rising-freight-costs-reshape-global-soybean-competition

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