# Climate shifts could clog food routes through Kansas City | Kansas City Star

> A Chatham House study warns that climate change could congest the rail, river and highway routes that move US food and commodity exports through Kansas City. The report notes that US railways may reach capacity within 20 years and that aged locks and dams already cause river congestion.

- Date: 2017-08-08 · published 2017-08-08T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/69630-climate-shifts-could-clog-food-routes-through-kansas-city-kansas-city-star
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md), [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Wheat (SRW)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WHEAT.md)

## Why it matters

Congestion risk on the rail and river routes that carry grain to Gulf and rail export points could raise freight costs and widen basis spreads for corn, soybeans and wheat over the long term.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: neutral
- BARGE: bullish ▲
- WHEAT: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-11-21 | [Grain Movement Into New Orleans Shifts From Usual Routes This Fall - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16413-grain-movement-into-new-orleans-shifts-from-usual-routes-this-fall-agweb.md) | +1.1% | +2.0% |
| CORN | 2024-07-17 | [La Ñina boosts the Panama Canal; Houthi threat drives up shipping costs through the Suez](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17016-la-nina-boosts-the-panama-canal-houthi-threat-drives-up-shipping-costs-through.md) | +2.6% | -1.3% |
| CORN | 2024-01-31 | [Diverted shipping routes are changing trade flows - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32019-diverted-shipping-routes-are-changing-trade-flows-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -4.0% | -7.3% |
| CORN | 2024-01-26 | [Freight through Suez Canal down 45% since Houthi attacks - UNCTAD \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32020-freight-through-suez-canal-down-45-since-houthi-attacks-unctad-reuters.md) | -0.9% | -7.1% |
| CORN | 2022-05-26 | [Rail backlogs delay food shipments in U.S. \| The Western Producer](https://feedsoft.ai/events/41436-rail-backlogs-delay-food-shipments-in-u-s-the-western-producer.md) | -4.6% | -3.2% |
| SOY | 2025-11-21 | [Grain Movement Into New Orleans Shifts From Usual Routes This Fall - AgWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16413-grain-movement-into-new-orleans-shifts-from-usual-routes-this-fall-agweb.md) | +1.4% | -6.5% |
| SOY | 2024-07-17 | [La Ñina boosts the Panama Canal; Houthi threat drives up shipping costs through the Suez](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17016-la-nina-boosts-the-panama-canal-houthi-threat-drives-up-shipping-costs-through.md) | +2.5% | -9.3% |
| SOY | 2024-01-31 | [Diverted shipping routes are changing trade flows - Brownfield Ag News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/32019-diverted-shipping-routes-are-changing-trade-flows-brownfield-ag-news.md) | -1.6% | -7.0% |

## Sources

- kansascity.com: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article165851727.html

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