# River Woes Push Basis Lower | Feed & Grain

> Basis weakened along much of the Midwest river system as terminals north of St. Louis slowed grain buying ahead of possible draft restrictions from low water levels. Soybean basis fell about 4 cents on average, while corn river basis slipped half a cent, with ethanol plants lifting corn basis in the upper Midwest.

- Date: 2020-10-02 · published 2020-10-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/50835-river-woes-push-basis-lower-feed-and-grain
- Commodities: [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

Terminals cutting bids to protect against barge restrictions lower farm-gate soybean prices in the affected areas. The threat of a river closure near St. Louis could raise freight costs and disrupt Gulf-bound movement later in the season.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 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 | 2020-10-02 | [High Water Persists in Mississippi River System \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50542-high-water-persists-in-mississippi-river-system-feed-and-grain.md) | +2.6% | +2.8% |
| SOY | 2020-10-01 | [America's Barometer \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50541-america-s-barometer-feed-and-grain.md) | +2.7% | +3.3% |
| 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% |
| 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 | 2020-10-02 | [Ocean Freight Rates Hit Lowest In Past 12 Weeks \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/50831-ocean-freight-rates-hit-lowest-in-past-12-weeks-feed-and-grain.md) | -1.1% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2024-02-26 | [Mississippi River Basin drought officially ends confirms USACE \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16562-mississippi-river-basin-drought-officially-ends-confirms-usace-feed-and-grain.md) | +0.5% | +7.8% |

## Sources

- feedandgrain.com: https://www.feedandgrain.com/events/event-calendar/blog/15401579/river-woes-push-basis-lower

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