# Low Mississippi River levels during harvest cut profits for farmers, freighters

> Low Mississippi River levels are restricting how much cargo barges can carry during the harvest shipping season. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the river is several feet below normal at Dubuque, Iowa. Freighters are adding trips and crews, which raises costs.

- Date: 2024-10-24 · published 2024-10-24T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/28043-low-mississippi-river-levels-during-harvest-cut-profits-for-farmers-freighters
- 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

Reduced barge loads and extra towboat trips raise per-ton shipping costs, which lowers net prices for farmers selling harvested grain. The added expense supports higher barge freight rates across the system.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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% |
| CORN | 2023-09-18 | [High Barge Freight, Low River Levels Detrimental to Farmers at Harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34292-high-barge-freight-low-river-levels-detrimental-to-farmers-at-harvest.md) | -8.5% | -6.6% |
| CORN | 2024-09-10 | [Lower Mississippi River Water Levels Falling Just as Fall Harvest Begins](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16510-lower-mississippi-river-water-levels-falling-just-as-fall-harvest-begins.md) | +4.0% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2026-05-26 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs For Farmers — Louisiana Farm Bureau News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16362-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers-louisiana.md) | -1.8% | -6.6% |
| 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% |
| SOY | 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% | -4.5% |
| SOY | 2023-09-18 | [High Barge Freight, Low River Levels Detrimental to Farmers at Harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34292-high-barge-freight-low-river-levels-detrimental-to-farmers-at-harvest.md) | -3.3% | -4.5% |
| SOY | 2024-09-10 | [Lower Mississippi River Water Levels Falling Just as Fall Harvest Begins](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16510-lower-mississippi-river-water-levels-falling-just-as-fall-harvest-begins.md) | +0.5% | +3.4% |

## Sources

- kcrg.com: https://www.kcrg.com/2024/10/24/low-mississippi-river-levels-during-harvest-cut-profits-farmers-freighters/

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