Waterborne Grain Volumes Increase On Mississippi River

This article has been reprinted from USDA's Nov. 21 Grain Transportation Report.

For the week ending November 16, grain volumes transiting the locks on the Mississippi River were the second-highest in 2019.

Last week, 888,976 tons of corn, wheat, soybeans, and other grains passed through Ohio Olmsted Lock and Dam, Lock and Dam 27 on the Mississippi, and Lock and Dam 1 on the Arkansas River, which nearly matched the previous high for 2019 of 890,199, which occurred in the week ending August 24.

In several States critical to grain production, harvest progress drew closer to the 5-year averages after having lagged far behind the averages for most of the 2019 harvest.

Still, many States remain behind their average progress.

Greater supplies of grain later in the year due to the delayed harvest are reflected in slightly above-average barge rates in November and December at ports in the upper- and mid- Mississippi areas.