# The Mississippi River is Set to Fall to Severe Levels for the Fourth Year in a Row

> The USGS river gage at Memphis, Tennessee, may fall to severe low levels for the fourth year in a row. The Mississippi has dropped below the zero reference point during harvest in eight of the last ten years, and the river has reached the National Weather Service's low stage five times.

- Date: 2025-08-27 · published 2025-08-27T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/23510-the-mississippi-river-is-set-to-fall-to-severe-levels-for-the-fourth-year-in-a
- 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

Low river levels push barge freight rates up and widen local cash basis discounts, which lowers farm-gate prices for corn and soybeans in the affected Midwest and Gulf-linked catchments. Freight costs for grain moving to export positions rise as a result.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-10-01 | [Low Miss. River levels to disrupt harvest shipping for fourth straight year \| Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16418-low-miss-river-levels-to-disrupt-harvest-shipping-for-fourth-straight-year-agri.md) | +1.4% | +2.3% |
| CORN | 2025-10-15 | [Low Mississippi River levels threaten fall grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16417-low-mississippi-river-levels-threaten-fall-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +0.1% | +2.9% |
| CORN | 2024-09-16 | [Low Mississippi River water levels disrupt barge shipping for third consecutive year \| Agriculture Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16507-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-disrupt-barge-shipping-for-third-consecutive.md) | +1.6% | +2.7% |
| CORN | 2022-10-30 | [The Mississippi River is facing low water levels. It could make inflation worse : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39335-the-mississippi-river-is-facing-low-water-levels-it-could-make-inflation-worse.md) | -2.2% | -3.8% |
| CORN | 2026-06-01 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16363-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers.md) | -5.0% | -5.7% |
| SOY | 2022-10-31 | [Low Water Levels in the Mississippi River Result in Abnormally Weak Soybean Basis](https://feedsoft.ai/events/39337-low-water-levels-in-the-mississippi-river-result-in-abnormally-weak-soybean.md) | +4.6% | +5.0% |
| SOY | 2025-10-01 | [Low Miss. River levels to disrupt harvest shipping for fourth straight year \| Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16418-low-miss-river-levels-to-disrupt-harvest-shipping-for-fourth-straight-year-agri.md) | +2.0% | +7.6% |
| SOY | 2025-10-15 | [Low Mississippi River levels threaten fall grain movement - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16417-low-mississippi-river-levels-threaten-fall-grain-movement-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +2.4% | +10.6% |

## Sources

- southernagtoday.org: https://southernagtoday.org/2025/08/27/the-mississippi-river-is-set-to-fall-to-severe-levels-for-the-fourth-year-in-a-row/

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