# Misery for Shippers on Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio Rivers

> Water levels on the Mississippi at St. Louis have been running low since late 2021 and are below zero gauge, while the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers remain low. Barge drafts are expected to be cut from 10.5 to 9.5 feet the week of January 10, with possible tow size reductions and dredging needed.

- Date: 2022-01-10 · published 2022-01-10T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/43328-misery-for-shippers-on-mississippi-illinois-ohio-rivers
- 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

Shallow water forces lighter barge loads and higher per-tonne freight costs, which widens basis discounts for Gulf-bound corn and soybeans and can slow grain movement to export terminals.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2020-10-02 | [Barge Freight Starting to Ease on Mississippi, Illinois Rivers \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50543-barge-freight-starting-to-ease-on-mississippi-illinois-rivers-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2017-04-07 | [Barge accidents shut parts of Mississippi, Ohio rivers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71396-barge-accidents-shut-parts-of-mississippi-ohio-rivers.md) | +1.6% | +1.0% |
| 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 | 2023-10-06 | [The Mississippi River is reaching historic highs and lows — forcing the shipping industry to adapt \| NPR Illinois](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16597-the-mississippi-river-is-reaching-historic-highs-and-lows-forcing-the-shipping.md) | -0.5% | -4.9% |
| CORN | 2023-02-28 | [River Rebound: Is the Shipping Crisis on the Mississippi Ending? - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16650-river-rebound-is-the-shipping-crisis-on-the-mississippi-ending-agweb.md) | +0.9% | +0.2% |
| SOY | 2020-10-02 | [Barge Freight Starting to Ease on Mississippi, Illinois Rivers \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50543-barge-freight-starting-to-ease-on-mississippi-illinois-rivers-feed-and-grain.md) | +2.6% | +2.8% |
| SOY | 2017-04-07 | [Barge accidents shut parts of Mississippi, Ohio rivers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71396-barge-accidents-shut-parts-of-mississippi-ohio-rivers.md) | +1.5% | +2.3% |
| 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% |

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/market-matters-blog/blog-post/2022/01/10/misery-shippers-mississippi-illinois

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