# Mississippi River levels, barge rates took a heavy toll on corn and soybean basis | An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau

> Purdue economist Nathan Thompson says Mississippi River gage height at St. Louis was between -2 and +3 feet in October and November 2022, the lowest in five years and well below the normal +10 to +16 feet. At Memphis, levels fell to between -10 and 0 feet. Barges are loaded below normal levels to improve draft, which raises grain transport costs.

- Date: 2022-11-30 · published 2022-11-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/38861-mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean
- 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

Lower barge loads raise transport costs and widen corn and soybean basis levels, pushing down the local prices farmers receive. Export competitiveness suffers while the river stays low.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-09-30 | [Drought debacle: How the Mississippi River's low water levels are hurting crop income \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16428-drought-debacle-how-the-mississippi-river-s-low-water-levels-are-hurting-crop.md) | +0.8% | +1.0% |
| CORN | 2022-11-23 | [River Levels and Barge Rates Impacting Corn and Soybean Basis - Center for Commercial Agriculture](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38711-river-levels-and-barge-rates-impacting-corn-and-soybean-basis-center-for.md) | -1.6% | -1.8% |
| 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 | 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% |
| CORN | 2023-08-30 | [Corn basis following Mississippi River levels downward](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12852-corn-basis-following-mississippi-river-levels-downward.md) | -0.0% | -8.2% |
| SOY | 2025-09-30 | [Drought debacle: How the Mississippi River's low water levels are hurting crop income \| An official publication of Michigan Farm Bureau](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16428-drought-debacle-how-the-mississippi-river-s-low-water-levels-are-hurting-crop.md) | +0.7% | +5.6% |
| SOY | 2022-11-23 | [River Levels and Barge Rates Impacting Corn and Soybean Basis - Center for Commercial Agriculture](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38711-river-levels-and-barge-rates-impacting-corn-and-soybean-basis-center-for.md) | +2.8% | +3.6% |
| SOY | 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) | -2.6% | -5.8% |

## Sources

- michiganfarmnews.com: https://www.michiganfarmnews.com/mississippi-river-levels-barge-rates-took-a-heavy-toll-on-corn-and-soybean-basis

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