# Low Water, Lock Repairs Send Mississippi River Freights Soaring

> Low river levels and lock repairs on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers delayed dozens of barge tows, pushing barge freight rates to a three-year high on September 29. Exporters scrambled for supplies to meet Gulf Coast shipping commitments as bulk cargo ships backed up waiting to load soybeans. Barges are loading to 9 to 9.5 foot drafts, so each carries about 25 percent less grain.

- Date: 2017-09-30 · published 2017-09-30T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/68848-low-water-lock-repairs-send-mississippi-river-freights-soaring
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Shallow drafts and lock delays raise the cost of moving grain to Gulf export terminals just as harvest deliveries peak. Higher freight widens the basis and cuts farm-gate prices for soybeans and corn.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bearish ▼
- BARGE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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% |
| SOY | 2022-01-27 | [Low Mississippi River water levels impact river users](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16735-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-impact-river-users.md) | +7.3% | +15.4% |
| SOY | 2024-10-24 | [Low Mississippi River levels during harvest cut profits for farmers, freighters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28043-low-mississippi-river-levels-during-harvest-cut-profits-for-farmers-freighters.md) | -2.1% | -0.7% |
| SOY | 2022-10-21 | [Low Water And Mississippi River Drafts - The Waterways Journal](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16676-low-water-and-mississippi-river-drafts-the-waterways-journal.md) | -0.7% | +1.8% |
| SOY | 2022-11-15 | [Low Mississippi River water levels drive up shipping costs - Marketplace](https://feedsoft.ai/events/38859-low-mississippi-river-water-levels-drive-up-shipping-costs-marketplace.md) | -0.3% | +2.6% |

## Sources

- gcaptain.com: https://gcaptain.com/low-water-lock-repairs-send-mississippi-river-freights-soaring/

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