# From Fields To Freight: Illinois Farmers Count On River Routes  - The Waterways Journal

> Illinois Corn Growers president Rodney Weinzierl spoke at a May 15 webinar on the importance of Mississippi River transportation to Illinois farmers. He cited Illinois as the largest corn export state and said export demand sets the national corn price, with Illinois corn yields at 217 bushels per acre last year.

- Date: 2025-05-30 · published 2025-05-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/24848-from-fields-to-freight-illinois-farmers-count-on-river-routes-the-waterways
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

River access underpins Illinois export competitiveness and Gulf basis, so any river disruption would widen basis and affect corn and soybean pricing. The article is commentary without a new event.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2020-03-23 | [Allision Leads To Breakaway And River Closure - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54031-allision-leads-to-breakaway-and-river-closure-the-waterways-journal.md) | +2.2% | -4.2% |
| SOY | 2019-09-27 | [Upper Mississippi River On The Rise Again - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56949-upper-mississippi-river-on-the-rise-again-the-waterways-journal.md) | +2.6% | +5.0% |
| SOY | 2024-07-03 | [Barge Fleet Cargo Is Diverse - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16523-barge-fleet-cargo-is-diverse-the-waterways-journal.md) | -2.0% | -11.7% |
| SOY | 2021-12-02 | [Farmers Offer $1 Million To Help Move Lock And Dam 25 Project Forward - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16742-farmers-offer-1-million-to-help-move-lock-and-dam-25-project-forward-the.md) | +2.7% | +8.1% |
| SOY | 2018-11-09 | [Report Touts Containerization For Soy Exports - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61944-report-touts-containerization-for-soy-exports-the-waterways-journal.md) | +2.4% | +4.9% |
| CORN | 2026-10-23 | [Mississippi River Grain Freight Rates Fall - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16331-mississippi-river-grain-freight-rates-fall-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.6% | — |
| CORN | 2020-03-23 | [Allision Leads To Breakaway And River Closure - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54031-allision-leads-to-breakaway-and-river-closure-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.8% | -5.0% |
| CORN | 2019-09-27 | [Upper Mississippi River On The Rise Again - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56949-upper-mississippi-river-on-the-rise-again-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.5% | +0.9% |

## Sources

- waterwayscouncil.org: https://www.waterwayscouncil.org/media/in-the-news/article/2025/05/from-fields-to-freight-illinois-farmers-count-on-river-routes
- waterwaysjournal.net: https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2025/05/30/from-fields-to-freight-illinois-farmers-count-on-river-routes/

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