# Low Mississippi River water levels drive up shipping costs - Marketplace

> Water levels on the Mississippi River have reached historic lows because of drought affecting more than half the country. Some recent rain brought brief relief, but barge shipping costs remain high. A Kentucky farmer says moving a bushel down the river now costs $2.50 to $2.90, compared with about 80 cents normally.

- Date: 2022-11-15 · published 2022-11-15T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/38859-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-drive-up-shipping-costs-marketplace
- 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 makes US corn and soybeans less competitive in export markets and lowers farm-gate bids, especially in river-dependent regions. The Mississippi carries about 60% of US soy and corn exports, so the cost pressure feeds into basis and export pricing.

## 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 | 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 | 2022-01-27 | [Low Mississippi River water levels impact river users](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16735-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-impact-river-users.md) | +1.7% | +10.2% |
| 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 | 2023-09-28 | [Low Mississippi River Levels Drive up Grain Transportation Costs \| Farm Bureau Intel Markets \| American Farm Bureau Federation](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16601-low-mississippi-river-levels-drive-up-grain-transportation-costs-farm-bureau.md) | +1.1% | +1.7% |
| 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 | 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) | -0.4% | -5.3% |
| SOY | 2022-01-27 | [Low Mississippi River water levels impact river users](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16735-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-impact-river-users.md) | +7.3% | +15.4% |

## Sources

- marketplace.org: https://www.marketplace.org/2022/11/15/low-mississippi-river-water-levels-drive-up-shipping-costs/

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