# Hurricane Ida Shutters Ag Exports with No Clear Timeline on How Long Shipping Delays Could Last - The Scoop

> Hurricane Ida, with 150 mph winds, crippled grain shipping facilities along the lower Mississippi River, including the Port of South Louisiana, which handles more than 50% of US grain exports. The storm left the timeline for resuming export activity unclear. A barge urea price in New Orleans rose from $450/t to $552/t after the storm, and grain markets fell sharply on export uncertainty.

- Date: 2021-08-30 · published 2021-08-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/6008-hurricane-ida-shutters-ag-exports-with-no-clear-timeline-on-how-long-shipping
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Urea](https://feedsoft.ai/c/UREA.md)

## Why it matters

Shuttered Gulf export capacity disrupts US grain and soybean shipments, pressuring US cash prices while raising barge freight and fertilizer costs. Feed buyers should watch for a longer outage, which would widen basis and increase logistics costs.

## Read by commodity

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

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| UREA | 2021-08-30 | 1 | +4.3% | 5.6 | Hurricane Ida's 2021-08-30 shutdown of lower Mississippi shipping and the jump in New Orleans barge urea from $450 to $552/t is a direct supply and logistics shock that fits the 4.32% one-day rise. |
| UREA | 2021-08-29 | 1 | +4.3% | 6.5 | Hurricane Ida (landfall Aug 29) crippled Lower Mississippi shipping and drove New Orleans barge urea from $450 to $552/t, a direct supply/logistics shock matching the timing and direction of the one-day jump. |
| UREA | 2021-09-02 | 5 | +16.5% | 3.8 | Ida's shutdown of Gulf ports and shipping, with urea barges jumping from $450 to $552/t, shows the storm-driven supply and logistics disruption behind the price surge. |
| UREA | 2021-09-03 | 5 | +16.5% | 3.1 | Post-Ida disruption lifted New Orleans urea barge prices sharply (reported $450 to $552/t), a direct supply and logistics shock. |
| BARGE | 2021-09-07 | 1 | +39.4% | 3.2 | Ida's shutdown of South Louisiana grain export facilities stalled barge unloading and turnaround, creating congestion and a vessel supply squeeze that likely lifted St. Louis barge freight, though the event is dated about a week before the one-day move. |
| UREA | 2021-09-02 | 1 | +7.2% | 7.2 | Ida's disruption of Louisiana port and shipping infrastructure drove NOLA urea barge prices up from $450 to $552/t, tightening nearby US Gulf supply. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2019-05-13 | [High water causing export delays - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/58985-high-water-causing-export-delays-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +6.9% | +11.9% |
| CORN | 2023-11-23 | [Ukraine's farmers pin hopes on export corridor as war cost mounts \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14344-ukraine-s-farmers-pin-hopes-on-export-corridor-as-war-cost-mounts-reuters.md) | -1.8% | -0.4% |
| CORN | 2023-12-22 | [Return to the Black Sea: New grain lane could ease Ukraine’s rift with neighbours \| World Ports Organization](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14340-return-to-the-black-sea-new-grain-lane-could-ease-ukraine-s-rift-with.md) | +2.4% | -1.8% |
| CORN | 2026-01-29 | [Low Water on U.S. Rivers Disrupts Grain Exports, Raising Costs for Ag Supply Chains - Agrolatam](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16395-low-water-on-u-s-rivers-disrupts-grain-exports-raising-costs-for-ag-supply.md) | -0.3% | -0.1% |
| CORN | 2021-09-13 | [Hurricane Ida threw teh barge industry into a tizzy along the Mississippi River](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44996-hurricane-ida-threw-teh-barge-industry-into-a-tizzy-along-the-mississippi-river.md) | +0.1% | -3.1% |
| SOY | 2023-12-13 | [Ag transportation expert: unclear how low Mississippi River is affecting ag exports - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16583-ag-transportation-expert-unclear-how-low-mississippi-river-is-affecting-ag.md) | -0.8% | -7.0% |
| SOY | 2026-01-29 | [Low Water on U.S. Rivers Disrupts Grain Exports, Raising Costs for Ag Supply Chains - Agrolatam](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16395-low-water-on-u-s-rivers-disrupts-grain-exports-raising-costs-for-ag-supply.md) | +1.6% | +6.8% |
| SOY | 2021-09-13 | [Hurricane Ida threw teh barge industry into a tizzy along the Mississippi River](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44996-hurricane-ida-threw-teh-barge-industry-into-a-tizzy-along-the-mississippi-river.md) | +0.7% | -2.5% |

## Sources

- thedailyscoop.com: https://www.thedailyscoop.com/hurricane-ida-shutters-ag-exports-no-clear-timeline-how-long-shipping-delays-could-last

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