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CoBank's Knowledge Exchange report says the number of US inland hopper barges has fallen to 19,668, with an average age of 17.6 years, up from 13.8 in 2016. Barges are retiring faster than new ones are built, and a new hopper barge now costs over $1 million, roughly 60% more than a decade ago.
CoBank warns that shrinking capacity will raise freight rates and push farm-gate grain prices lower.
Fewer barges mean higher river freight rates and slower, more costly movement of corn, soybeans and wheat to Gulf export terminals. Higher freight costs widen the gap between export and farm prices, lowering what farmers receive and tightening feed grain logistics.
theagronews.comFarms.comNov 11, 2026Not enough comparable past events yet for a historical read.
Moves of each commodity's benchmark from the last close before the event. Historical reads pool past events of the same kind; they describe what happened, not what will. Not investment advice.
