# GRAPHIC: A 40-year look at the busiest canal on the Mississippi River - Investigate Midwest

> Grain shipments through Lock 27 near St. Louis reached 641,000 tons as of April 17, a 34% increase over the same week last year, according to USDA transportation data. Lock 27 is the busiest navigation structure on the Mississippi River.

- Date: 2021-04-29 · published 2021-04-29T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/47495-graphic-a-40-year-look-at-the-busiest-canal-on-the-mississippi-river
- Commodities: [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Strong grain movement through the busiest Mississippi lock signals active export flows and barge demand, but the change is a volume comparison rather than a new price driver.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bullish ▲
- WHEAT: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WHEAT | 2019-09-09 | [Grain leaves Churchill for first time in four years \| The Western Producer](https://feedsoft.ai/events/57101-grain-leaves-churchill-for-first-time-in-four-years-the-western-producer.md) | -0.8% | +4.6% |
| WHEAT | 2024-10-04 | [Canada: Grain trade reputation on the line](https://feedsoft.ai/events/27888-canada-grain-trade-reputation-on-the-line.md) | -5.2% | -6.7% |
| WHEAT | 2022-05-21 | [Canada: Docks deal concluded after 4 years of negotiations - The Federation of International Employers - FedEE](https://feedsoft.ai/events/41440-canada-docks-deal-concluded-after-4-years-of-negotiations-the-federation-of.md) | -2.2% | -3.2% |
| WHEAT | 2021-05-14 | [Ag Shippers Relieved as Mississippi River Reopens \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47000-ag-shippers-relieved-as-mississippi-river-reopens-red-river-farm-network.md) | -1.3% | -4.0% |
| WHEAT | 2024-09-26 | [Russia's grain exports: A look at main terminals and planned expansions](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14267-russia-s-grain-exports-a-look-at-main-terminals-and-planned-expansions.md) | +1.0% | -6.2% |
| SOY | 2019-09-27 | [Upper Mississippi River On The Rise Again - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/56949-upper-mississippi-river-on-the-rise-again-the-waterways-journal.md) | +2.6% | +5.0% |
| SOY | 2019-02-26 | [Extreme water flows on the Mississippi River - The Swedish Club](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60483-extreme-water-flows-on-the-mississippi-river-the-swedish-club.md) | -0.9% | -0.6% |
| SOY | 2017-05-03 | [Coast Guard closes portion of Upper Mississippi River to all vessel traffic – Illinois Business Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/71173-coast-guard-closes-portion-of-upper-mississippi-river-to-all-vessel-traffic.md) | +0.8% | -4.4% |

## Sources

- investigatemidwest.org: https://investigatemidwest.org/2021/04/29/graphic-a-40-year-look-at-the-busiest-canal-on-the-mississippi-river/
- investigatemidwest.org: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/graphic-a-40-year-look-at-the-busiest-canal-on-the-mississippi-river/

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