This article has been reprinted from the April 11 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
On-going flooding continues to disrupt barge traffic on the major waterways.
As of April 11, there are 10 locks on the Upper Mississippi River that are closed due to high water.
To ensure safe passage under bridges that span the Mississippi River, barge traffic is restricted to daylight only in several locations on the Lower Mississippi River and in the St. Louis area.
American Commercial Barge Line reports river levels at Memphis are receding and 24-hour traffic has resumed.
As of April 9, barge operators report a second week of spot grain barge rate declines, as many shippers are not looking to buy barge services for the first half of April.
Year-to-date barge grain shipments are 15 percent lower than last year.