# Barge rates pressured by low Mississippi River water levels | Supply Chain Dive

> Spot barge rates at St. Louis reached $23.34 per ton on Aug. 29, up 49% week over week and 85% above the three-year average, according to USDA. Restrictions on barge loading since June, caused by low Mississippi River water levels, have reduced the grain each barge can carry.

- Date: 2023-09-07 · published 2023-09-07T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/34291-barge-rates-pressured-by-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-supply-chain-dive
- 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

Tighter barge capacity raises freight costs for corn and soybeans moving down the river during harvest, which widens basis and lowers farm-gate prices. Buyers should expect higher delivered feed costs and weaker interior prices if the low water persists.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-11-04 | [Decade-low water levels on Mississippi River slow barges, disrupt food supply chain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10335-decade-low-water-levels-on-mississippi-river-slow-barges-disrupt-food-supply.md) | -0.9% | -4.5% |
| CORN | 2022-11-07 | [Mississippi River's Low Levels Causing Barge Traffic Issues](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10337-mississippi-river-s-low-levels-causing-barge-traffic-issues.md) | -0.7% | -5.4% |
| CORN | 2024-09-09 | [Mississippi River restricts barges as water levels drop - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16511-mississippi-river-restricts-barges-as-water-levels-drop-dredgewire-dredgewire.md) | +1.0% | +4.9% |
| CORN | 2023-08-31 | [Barge Spot Rates Hit $23.34 a Ton as Mississippi River Water Levels Drop - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12851-barge-spot-rates-hit-23-34-a-ton-as-mississippi-river-water-levels-drop.md) | +1.5% | -6.4% |
| 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% |
| SOY | 2022-11-04 | [Decade-low water levels on Mississippi River slow barges, disrupt food supply chain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10335-decade-low-water-levels-on-mississippi-river-slow-barges-disrupt-food-supply.md) | +0.3% | +0.8% |
| SOY | 2025-10-01 | [Low Mississippi River Levels Pressure Grain Barge Movement - RFD-TV](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16421-low-mississippi-river-levels-pressure-grain-barge-movement-rfd-tv.md) | +2.0% | +7.6% |
| SOY | 2022-11-07 | [Mississippi River's Low Levels Causing Barge Traffic Issues](https://feedsoft.ai/events/10337-mississippi-river-s-low-levels-causing-barge-traffic-issues.md) | +0.3% | -0.9% |

## Sources

- supplychaindive.com: https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/mississippi-low-water-levels-drought-barge-shipping-rates/692893/

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