# High Water Persists in Mississippi River System | Feed & Grain

> Several Mississippi and Ohio River gauges remain at flood stage, and some lower-river grain elevators have stopped operating. Barge rates have fallen to their lowest since 2017 and have been flat or lower for six weeks. Weaker export-driven demand for barges is outweighing supply-side pressure.

- Date: 2020-10-02 · published 2020-10-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/50542-high-water-persists-in-mississippi-river-system-feed-and-grain
- 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

Lower barge rates reflect weaker export shipping demand, which points to softer basis and farm-gate prices for Gulf-bound grain. Few shipments are clearing despite cheap freight.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2023-09-21 | [Barge loads reduced as low water impacts Mississippi River \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16605-barge-loads-reduced-as-low-water-impacts-mississippi-river-feed-and-grain.md) | -0.2% | +0.5% |
| CORN | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.0% | — |
| CORN | 2025-09-25 | [Low water levels return to Mississippi River as harvest season begins \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16423-low-water-levels-return-to-mississippi-river-as-harvest-season-begins-feed-and.md) | -2.5% | -1.8% |
| 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 | 2023-09-29 | [Mississippi River Near Historic Lows, Grain Exports at Risk](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16603-mississippi-river-near-historic-lows-grain-exports-at-risk.md) | +1.9% | +0.9% |
| SOY | 2023-09-21 | [Barge loads reduced as low water impacts Mississippi River \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16605-barge-loads-reduced-as-low-water-impacts-mississippi-river-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.3% | -0.7% |
| SOY | 2026-10-26 | [Low Mississippi River puts Southern grain basis at risk \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16328-low-mississippi-river-puts-southern-grain-basis-at-risk-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.5% | — |
| SOY | 2025-09-25 | [Low water levels return to Mississippi River as harvest season begins \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16423-low-water-levels-return-to-mississippi-river-as-harvest-season-begins-feed-and.md) | +0.4% | +2.6% |

## Sources

- feedandgrain.com: https://www.feedandgrain.com/grain-supply-chain/news/15393604/high-water-persists-in-mississippi-river-system

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