# Barge Shipments Grind Lower | Red River Farm Network

> USDA reports that barge grain movement on the Mississippi hit a record low in mid-September due to low stocks and Hurricane Ida. The Gulf is recovering, but shipping faces high fuel and labor costs.

- Date: 2021-10-28 · published 2021-10-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/44433-barge-shipments-grind-lower-red-river-farm-network
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [ULSD / Diesel](https://feedsoft.ai/c/DIESEL.md)

## Why it matters

Persistent high barge operating costs and limited hopper barge supply keep freight elevated, which weighs on Gulf export competitiveness and farm-level net prices.

## 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 | 2022-06-29 | [BNSF limits westbound shipments with rise in congestion \| Supply Chain Dive](https://feedsoft.ai/events/40942-bnsf-limits-westbound-shipments-with-rise-in-congestion-supply-chain-dive.md) | -17.6% | -11.1% |
| DIESEL | 2021-05-13 | [Mississippi River may reopen to barge traffic in 24-48 hours \| Air Freight News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47304-mississippi-river-may-reopen-to-barge-traffic-in-24-48-hours-air-freight-news.md) | -3.1% | +3.3% |
| DIESEL | 2022-03-17 | [U.S. Grain Barge Freight Rates Skyrocket \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42461-u-s-grain-barge-freight-rates-skyrocket-feed-and-grain.md) | +32.3% | +20.2% |
| DIESEL | 2026-10-29 | [U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index: Shipper Costs Hit Five-Year High as Freight Demand Stalls](https://feedsoft.ai/events/1461-u-s-bank-freight-payment-index-shipper-costs-hit-five-year-high-as-freight.md) | -2.4% | — |

## Sources

- rrfn.com: https://www.rrfn.com/2021/10/28/barge-shipments-grind-lower/

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