# The Mississippi River is facing low water levels. It could make inflation worse : NPR

> NPR interviewed economist Alan Barrett about low Mississippi River water levels, which have reached levels at Memphis below 1988 lows. Barrett said fewer bushels per barge and fewer barges per tow, now about 25 versus a normal 40, are raising freight costs. He warned this could add to consumer inflation.

- Date: 2022-10-30 · published 2022-10-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/39335-the-mississippi-river-is-facing-low-water-levels-it-could-make-inflation-worse
- 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

Shallower drafts and smaller tows raise the per-bushel barge cost, which pushes down interior grain bids and raises feed ingredient delivery costs. The effect on feed buyers is higher freight-driven costs rather than an outright supply shortfall.

## 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 | 2024-08-28 | [Ep. 7 Low Water Levels on the Mississippi River: Not the Three-Peat We Want](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16514-ep-7-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-not-the-three-peat-we-want.md) | +4.4% | +6.8% |
| 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 | 2022-11-15 | [Low Mississippi River water levels drive up shipping costs - Marketplace](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38859-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-drive-up-shipping-costs-marketplace.md) | -1.3% | -5.1% |
| 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% |
| 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 | 2024-08-28 | [Ep. 7 Low Water Levels on the Mississippi River: Not the Three-Peat We Want](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16514-ep-7-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-not-the-three-peat-we-want.md) | +4.0% | +8.9% |
| 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

- npr.org: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/30/1132658544/the-mississippi-river-is-facing-low-water-levels-it-could-make-inflation-worse

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