# US barged grain volumes down 29% from five-year average | World Grain

> USDA's October 5 Grain Transportation Report showed downbound barged grain volumes on the Mississippi system 25% below last year and nearly 30% below the five-year average. Year-to-date volumes through September 30 totaled 18.1 million tonnes, and restrictions on draft and tow sizes are tightest on the Lower Mississippi and Ohio rivers at Cairo, Illinois.

- Date: 2023-10-06 · published 2023-10-06T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/33827-us-barged-grain-volumes-down-29-from-five-year-average-world-grain
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md)

## Why it matters

Low river levels and weak export sales reduce barge capacity and raise freight costs, which widens Gulf basis and pressures Midwest cash bids for corn and soybeans.

## Read by commodity

- CORN: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2018-05-01 | [Grain barge tonnage below average](https://feedsoft.ai/events/65382-grain-barge-tonnage-below-average.md) | +1.7% | +3.5% |
| CORN | 2022-03-17 | [Grain Journal \| Downbound Barged Grain Spot Freight Rates Rise Sharply](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42187-grain-journal-downbound-barged-grain-spot-freight-rates-rise-sharply.md) | +2.8% | +7.8% |
| CORN | 2026-10-15 | [Grain Shipping Rates Surge 34% Year-Over-Year \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16757-grain-shipping-rates-surge-34-year-over-year-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.3% | — |
| CORN | 2021-02-25 | [Grain Barges Resume Operations After Severe Winter Weather \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48527-grain-barges-resume-operations-after-severe-winter-weather-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.0% |
| CORN | 2018-12-04 | [Ukraine resumes grain shipments from Azov Sea](https://feedsoft.ai/events/61436-ukraine-resumes-grain-shipments-from-azov-sea.md) | +0.5% | +2.6% |

## Sources

- world-grain.com: https://www.world-grain.com/articles/19120-us-barged-grain-volumes-down-29-from-five-year-average

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