# Bad Timing: River Levels Falling, Barges Stall Ahead of Harvest

> Low river levels on the Mississippi and its tributaries have temporarily stopped some barges as soybean harvest advances, despite heavy rains from Harvey and Irma. Dry conditions across most of the U.S. during September left major rivers short of water, with rain forecast for parts of the Western Corn Belt in early October.

- Date: 2017-10-02 · published 2017-10-02T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/68349-bad-timing-river-levels-falling-barges-stall-ahead-of-harvest
- Commodities: [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Low water raises barge freight costs and limits loads ahead of peak harvest movement, which can widen the gap between farm prices and Gulf export prices.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SOY | 2024-09-10 | [Lower Mississippi River Water Levels Falling Just as Fall Harvest Begins](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16510-lower-mississippi-river-water-levels-falling-just-as-fall-harvest-begins.md) | +0.5% | +3.4% |
| SOY | 2023-09-18 | [High Barge Freight, Low River Levels Detrimental to Farmers at Harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34292-high-barge-freight-low-river-levels-detrimental-to-farmers-at-harvest.md) | -3.3% | -4.5% |
| SOY | 2024-09-04 | [Low water levels on the Mississippi River impact barges and grain exports before harvest](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16513-low-water-levels-on-the-mississippi-river-impact-barges-and-grain-exports.md) | -2.0% | +6.0% |
| SOY | 2024-10-16 | [Poor timing of low Mississippi River levels - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28040-poor-timing-of-low-mississippi-river-levels-brownfield-ag-news.md) | +0.1% | +1.3% |
| SOY | 2024-10-16 | [As Harvest Ramps Up, the Lower Mississippi River Is Falling Again](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16504-as-harvest-ramps-up-the-lower-mississippi-river-is-falling-again.md) | +0.1% | +1.3% |

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/blogs/market-matters-blog/blog-post/2017/10/02/bad-timing-river-levels-falling
- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/Ag/blogs/market-matters-blog/blog-post/2017/10/02/bad-timing-river-levels-falling

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