This article has been reprinted from the May 16 USDA Grain Transportation Report.
Export Sales
For the week ending May 2, unshipped balances of wheat, corn, and soybeans totaled 26.7 mmt.
This indicates an 18 percent decrease in outstanding sales, compared to the same time last year.
Net weekly wheat export sales were .091 mmt, down 25 percent from the previous week.
Net corn export sales totaled .288 mmt, down 51 percent from the previous week.
Net soybean export sales were negative .149 mmt, down significantly from the past week.
Rail
U.S. Class I railroads originated 22,287 grain carloads for the week ending May 4.
This is down 11 percent from the previous week and 11 percent from last year, but 3 percent higher than the 3-year average.
Average May shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers (per car) were $58 above tariff for the week ending May 9, $148 above last week but $323 lower than last year.
Average non-shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers were $100 above tariff, $163 below last week and $600 lower than last year.
Barge
For the week ending May 11, barge grain movements totaled 369,723 tons.
This is 26 percent less than the previous week and 56 percent lower than the same period last year.
For the week ending May 11, 200 grain barges moved down river.
This is 107 fewer barges than the previous week.
There were 513 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 8 percent less than the previous week.
Ocean
For the week ending May 9, 30 ocean-going grain vessels were loaded in the Gulf.
This is 17 percent less than the same period last year.
Fifty-four vessels are expected to be loaded within the next 10 days.
This is 10 percent more than the same period last year. As of May 9, the rate for shipping a metric ton (mt) of grain from the U.S. Gulf to Japan was $42.50.
This is unchanged from the previous week.
The rate for the Pacific Northwest to Japan was $23.00 per mt.
This is also unchanged from the previous week.
Fuel
For the week ending May 13, the U.S. average diesel fuel price decreased 1.1 cents, from the previous week, to $3.160 per gallon.
This price is 7.9 cents below the same week last year.