# Swollen Mississippi River adds more headaches for grain farmers

> High water and strong currents on the lower Mississippi are slowing barge transit and cutting tow sizes from about 40 to 25-30 barges. A towboat crash near New Orleans and a temporary Coast Guard closure near Baton Rouge added to the disruption. Further snowmelt is expected to slow traffic more, limiting grain shipments south and fertilizer shipments north.

- Date: 2019-03-16 · published 2019-03-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/59982-swollen-mississippi-river-adds-more-headaches-for-grain-farmers
- 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), [Urea](https://feedsoft.ai/c/UREA.md)

## Why it matters

Smaller tows and slower transit raise per-bushel freight costs and pressure farm-gate prices, while fertilizer delays can tighten supply for spring application.

## Read by commodity

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

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2024-10-25 | [Mississippi River Dries Up Again at Worst Time for Farmers - TT](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16500-mississippi-river-dries-up-again-at-worst-time-for-farmers-tt.md) | -1.4% | -1.9% |
| SOY | 2017-10-02 | [Mississippi River Shipping Backlog Hits Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68347-mississippi-river-shipping-backlog-hits-farmers.md) | +0.4% | +0.7% |
| SOY | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +2.9% | +4.0% |
| SOY | 2024-10-04 | [The Mississippi River is running low again: It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain – AgriNews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28041-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | -3.0% | -6.1% |
| SOY | 2026-06-01 | [Low Mississippi River Water Levels Raise Shipping Costs for Farmers](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16363-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-raise-shipping-costs-for-farmers.md) | -5.0% | -4.5% |
| CORN | 2024-10-25 | [Mississippi River Dries Up Again at Worst Time for Farmers - TT](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16500-mississippi-river-dries-up-again-at-worst-time-for-farmers-tt.md) | -1.7% | +0.1% |
| CORN | 2024-09-11 | [The Mississippi River is running low again. It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16508-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | +5.0% | +5.3% |
| CORN | 2024-10-04 | [The Mississippi River is running low again: It’s a problem for farmers moving beans and grain – AgriNews](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28041-the-mississippi-river-is-running-low-again-it-s-a-problem-for-farmers-moving.md) | -1.3% | -2.9% |

## Sources

- startribune.com: https://www.startribune.com/swollen-mississippi-river-adds-more-headaches-for-grain-farmers/507212242
- startribune.com: https://www.startribune.com/swollen-mississippi-river-adds-more-headaches-for-grain-farmers/507212242/

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