# River levels allow favorable barge movement compared to 2019 - Mid-West Farm Report

> Water levels on the Mississippi River have been manageable in 2020, allowing barge traffic to start in early April, far earlier than the July 1 restart after 2019's high-water summer. Brennan Marine's president reports no weather-related disruptions or significant backlog so far this season.

- Date: 2020-06-02 · published 2020-06-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/52496-river-levels-allow-favorable-barge-movement-compared-to-2019-mid-west-farm
- 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

Smooth barge movement keeps grain flows to Gulf export positions steady and supports freight costs, so the river is not adding a logistics premium to feed grain prices right now.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-10-01 | [Low Mississippi River Levels Pressure Grain Barge Movement - RFD-TV](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16421-low-mississippi-river-levels-pressure-grain-barge-movement-rfd-tv.md) | +1.4% | +2.3% |
| CORN | 2017-06-07 | [WEEKLY GRAIN MOVEMENT: River market improves as water levels drop](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70373-weekly-grain-movement-river-market-improves-as-water-levels-drop.md) | +0.6% | +1.5% |
| CORN | 2026-02-20 | [2025 barge grain movements rise despite weather challenges on Mississippi River System \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16383-2025-barge-grain-movements-rise-despite-weather-challenges-on-mississippi-river.md) | +1.4% | +8.9% |
| CORN | 2021-06-23 | [Mississippi River Barge Traffic Slowed By Lower Water Levels \| State News \| voiceofalexandria.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46472-mississippi-river-barge-traffic-slowed-by-lower-water-levels-state-news.md) | +2.8% | -5.4% |
| CORN | 2024-02-23 | [Mississippi River levels return to normal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16563-mississippi-river-levels-return-to-normal.md) | +0.1% | +7.0% |
| SOY | 2017-06-07 | [WEEKLY GRAIN MOVEMENT: River market improves as water levels drop](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70373-weekly-grain-movement-river-market-improves-as-water-levels-drop.md) | +1.0% | +5.7% |
| SOY | 2025-06-16 | [Study: Mississippi River's 2022 low water levels reduced soybean crop value by up to $293 million](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16441-study-mississippi-river-s-2022-low-water-levels-reduced-soybean-crop-value-by.md) | -1.0% | -7.0% |
| SOY | 2021-06-23 | [Low water levels in the Mississippi River create issues for commercial boating - DredgeWire : DredgeWire](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46469-low-water-levels-in-the-mississippi-river-create-issues-for-commercial-boating.md) | -2.5% | +3.2% |

## Sources

- midwestfarmreport.com: https://www.midwestfarmreport.com/2020/06/02/river-levels-allow-favorable-barge-movement-compared-to-2019/

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