# U.S. Grain Barge Freight Rates Skyrocket | Feed & Grain

> U.S. barge freight rates have spiked as spot and April demand surge and empty barge supply tightens. St. Louis spot rates rose from 470% to 871% of the benchmark tariff ($34.75 per ton), and Upper Ohio River rates more than doubled. Global buyers are reportedly substituting U.S. grain for Black Sea supplies cut off by the war.

- Date: 2022-03-17 · published 2022-03-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/42461-u-s-grain-barge-freight-rates-skyrocket-feed-and-grain
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [ULSD / Diesel](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DIESEL.md)

## Why it matters

Freight is a major component of delivered grain cost, so the barge spike widens the gap between Gulf export values and interior farm prices. Rising fuel costs add further pressure, supporting freight-linked costs for feed buyers.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bullish ▲
- DIESEL: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DIESEL | 2026-10-15 | [Grain Shipping Rates Surge 34% Year-Over-Year \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16757-grain-shipping-rates-surge-34-year-over-year-feed-and-grain.md) | +1.1% | — |
| DIESEL | 2026-05-24 | [Ocean Freight Rates Rise As Grain Movement Shifts - RFD-TV](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19450-ocean-freight-rates-rise-as-grain-movement-shifts-rfd-tv.md) | -10.0% | -18.4% |
| DIESEL | 2026-10-22 | [Record diesel costs push grain freight rates higher across all modes \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17227-record-diesel-costs-push-grain-freight-rates-higher-across-all-modes-feed-and.md) | -5.5% | — |
| DIESEL | 2026-05-06 | [Freight Bottlenecks Reshape Grain and Fertilizer Shipping Routes - RFD](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16855-freight-bottlenecks-reshape-grain-and-fertilizer-shipping-routes-rfd.md) | +2.7% | -5.5% |
| DIESEL | 2018-10-31 | [U.S. freight costs continue upward climb \| 2018-10-31  \| World Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62425-u-s-freight-costs-continue-upward-climb-2018-10-31-world-grain.md) | -3.2% | -18.8% |

## Sources

- feedandgrain.com: https://www.feedandgrain.com/grain-supply-chain/news/15385527/us-grain-barge-freight-rates-skyrocket

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