# Early Start to Grain Shipping and Planting Season?

> Warmer-than-normal February temperatures have left Lake Superior and Lake Pepin unusually ice-free. Great Lakes ice cover on Feb. 17 was 13.3% versus 20.3% a year earlier, and the 2017 navigation season is scheduled to open March 20.

- Date: 2017-02-20 · published 2017-02-20T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/72370-early-start-to-grain-shipping-and-planting-season
- Commodities: [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

An early opening of the grain shipping season on the upper Mississippi and Great Lakes could bring earlier barge and vessel movement of grain, easing near-term freight tightness and modestly pressuring barge and ocean freight rates.

## Read by commodity

- BARGE: bearish ▼

## Sources

- dtnpf.com: https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/AG/blogs/market-matters-blog/blog-post/2017/02/20/early-start-grain-shipping-planting

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