# River Levels and Barge Rates Impacting Corn and Soybean Basis - Center for Commercial Agriculture

> Mississippi River gage heights at St. Louis and Memphis in October and November 2022 fell to the lowest levels in five years. Barges are being loaded below normal to keep navigable, raising freight costs. Barge rates spiked to about $96 a ton at the peak, far above the typical range.

- Date: 2022-11-23 · published 2022-11-23T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/38711-river-levels-and-barge-rates-impacting-corn-and-soybean-basis-center-for
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Higher barge freight costs widen the gap between Gulf and interior prices, cutting farm-gate corn and soybean basis and reducing the competitiveness of US grain in export markets.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2022-11-30 | [Mississippi River levels, barge rates took a heavy toll on corn and soybean basis \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38861-mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean.md) | -3.9% | +1.9% |
| 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 | 2025-02-18 | [Corn, soybean barge basis firm as some rivers rise](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26233-corn-soybean-barge-basis-firm-as-some-rivers-rise.md) | -4.4% | -2.4% |
| CORN | 2023-10-06 | [Low river levels, barge freight, and widening basis](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16596-low-river-levels-barge-freight-and-widening-basis.md) | -0.5% | -4.9% |
| CORN | 2025-04-10 | [Soybean barge basis firm on river shipping delays](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16455-soybean-barge-basis-firm-on-river-shipping-delays.md) | +3.1% | -3.3% |
| SOY | 2022-11-30 | [Mississippi River levels, barge rates took a heavy toll on corn and soybean basis \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38861-mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean.md) | -0.3% | +3.2% |
| SOY | 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) | +2.6% | +1.9% |
| SOY | 2025-02-18 | [Corn, soybean barge basis firm as some rivers rise](https://feedsoft.ai/events/26233-corn-soybean-barge-basis-firm-as-some-rivers-rise.md) | -0.7% | -2.0% |

## Sources

- ag.purdue.edu: https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/resource/2022/11/river-levels-and-barge-rates-impacting-corn-and-soybean-basis/

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