# Drought and US rail rates prop up export prices - High Plains Journal

> U.S. hard red winter export cash prices rose about 73 cents since January, with futures climbing from $4.37 to $5.64 per bushel by May 25. Drought in the HRW growing area and poor crop conditions abroad are cited as drivers, while historically high U.S. rail rates support export basis.

- Date: 2018-06-06 · published 2018-06-06T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/64574-drought-and-us-rail-rates-prop-up-export-prices-high-plains-journal
- Commodities: [Wheat (HRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/KWHEAT.md), [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Drought-reduced HRW supply and expected Black Sea shortfalls keep wheat export prices firm, raising feed grain costs. High rail rates add to the cost of moving grain to export positions.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bullish ▲
- WHEAT: bullish ▲
- KWHEAT: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| KWHEAT | 2018-05-31 | [Drought and U.S. Rail Rates Prop Up U.S. Export Prices - U.S. Wheat Associates](https://feedsoft.ai/events/64934-drought-and-u-s-rail-rates-prop-up-u-s-export-prices-u-s-wheat-associates.md) | -0.2% | -14.9% |
| KWHEAT | 2018-02-12 | [Drought relief expected to help grain and cattle outlook - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/66423-drought-relief-expected-to-help-grain-and-cattle-outlook-high-plains-journal.md) | +2.8% | +9.3% |
| KWHEAT | 2026-03-26 | [Extreme weather added drought pressure to High Plains - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13013-extreme-weather-added-drought-pressure-to-high-plains-high-plains-journal.md) | -0.6% | +7.9% |
| KWHEAT | 2018-06-19 | [Wheat feels the heat of record low US acres and drought reduced yields - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12353-wheat-feels-the-heat-of-record-low-us-acres-and-drought-reduced-yields-high.md) | -6.0% | -1.8% |
| KWHEAT | 2026-03-31 | [Wheat Prices Surge on US Drought and Planting Uncertainty](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20207-wheat-prices-surge-on-us-drought-and-planting-uncertainty.md) | -3.0% | +11.3% |
| WHEAT | 2018-06-19 | [Wheat feels the heat of record low US acres and drought reduced yields - High Plains Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12353-wheat-feels-the-heat-of-record-low-us-acres-and-drought-reduced-yields-high.md) | -0.7% | -3.1% |
| WHEAT | 2026-03-31 | [Wheat Prices Surge on US Drought and Planting Uncertainty](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20207-wheat-prices-surge-on-us-drought-and-planting-uncertainty.md) | -0.7% | +1.7% |
| WHEAT | 2017-07-11 | [ABN Amro: Grain prices higher due to US drought • De Molenaar](https://feedsoft.ai/events/70017-abn-amro-grain-prices-higher-due-to-us-drought-de-molenaar.md) | -2.0% | -1.7% |

## Sources

- hpj.com: https://hpj.com/2018/06/06/drought-and-us-rail-rates-prop-up-export-prices/

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