# Barge Operations Open Up as Spring Begins | Red River Farm Network

> Mississippi River grain barge operations continued to improve, with USDA expecting Lock 25 near Winfield, Missouri to reopen soon to allow 2021 Upper Mississippi navigation. Barge grain movements for the week ending March 13 were 810,000 tons, 52 percent above last year, and railroads originated 26,400 grain carloads.

- Date: 2021-03-19 · published 2021-03-19T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/48007-barge-operations-open-up-as-spring-begins-red-river-farm-network
- 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

Improving barge and rail capacity eases logistics bottlenecks and lowers freight costs for moving corn and soybeans, supporting Gulf and river basis and reducing feed delivery costs.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2019-05-14 | [Fertilizer Supplies Being Spread Thin \| Red River Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59376-fertilizer-supplies-being-spread-thin-red-river-farm-network.md) | +7.0% | +11.7% |
| CORN | 2019-06-27 | [Mixed emotions as Upper Mississippi River reopens to barges](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58498-mixed-emotions-as-upper-mississippi-river-reopens-to-barges.md) | -2.5% | -4.4% |
| CORN | 2021-05-13 | [U.S. barge backup worsens as Mississippi River shut near Memphis](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46997-u-s-barge-backup-worsens-as-mississippi-river-shut-near-memphis.md) | -7.7% | -2.2% |
| CORN | 2020-10-02 | [Barge Rates Decline, Spurring Basis at River Terminals \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50834-barge-rates-decline-spurring-basis-at-river-terminals-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2016-11-21 | [Mississippi River Reopened after Barge Breakaway](https://feedsoft.ai/events/73762-mississippi-river-reopened-after-barge-breakaway.md) | -0.1% | +1.3% |
| SOY | 2019-06-27 | [Mixed emotions as Upper Mississippi River reopens to barges](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58498-mixed-emotions-as-upper-mississippi-river-reopens-to-barges.md) | -1.0% | -1.3% |
| SOY | 2016-11-21 | [Mississippi River Reopened after Barge Breakaway](https://feedsoft.ai/events/73762-mississippi-river-reopened-after-barge-breakaway.md) | +6.3% | +2.8% |
| SOY | 2026-02-26 | [Despite Winter Weather, Commodities Still Move on U.S. Rivers \| Southern Farm Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20781-despite-winter-weather-commodities-still-move-on-u-s-rivers-southern-farm.md) | +0.5% | +2.0% |

## Sources

- rrfn.com: https://www.rrfn.com/2021/03/19/barge-operations-open-up-as-spring-begins/

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