This article has been reprinted from the March 5 USDA Grain Transportation Report.

Export Sales

For the week ending February 20, unshipped balances of wheat, corn, and soybeans totaled 22.2 million metric tons (mmt).

This represented a 34-percent decrease in outstanding sales, compared to the same time last year. Net corn export sales reached 0.865 mmt, down 31 percent from the past week.

Net soybean export sales were 0.339 mmt, down 31 percent from the previous week.

Net weekly wheat export sales reached 0.382 mmt, up 10 percent from the previous week.

Rail

U.S. Class I railroads originated 18,909 grain carloads during the week ending February 22.

This was a 3-percent increase from the previous week, 13 percent less than last year, and 10 percent lower than the 3-year average.

Average March shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers (per car) were $160 below tariff for the week ending February 27.

This is $19 less than last week and $2,222 lower than this week last year.

There were no non-shuttle bids/offers this week.

Barge

For the week ending February 29, barge grain movements totaled 408,595.

This was a 3-percent increase from the previous week and 71 percent more than the same period last year.

For the week ending February 29, 263 grain barges moved down river—10 barges more than the previous week.

There were 479 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 9 percent fewer than the previous week.

Ocean

For the week ending February 27, 31 oceangoing grain vessels were loaded in the Gulf—6.1 percent fewer than the same period last year.

Within the next 10 days (starting February 28), 39 vessels were expected to be loaded—41.8 percent fewer than the same period last year.

As of February 27, the rate for shipping a metric ton (mt) of grain from the U.S. Gulf to Japan was $43.50.

This was 1 percent more than the previous week.

The rate from the Pacific Northwest to Japan was $23.50 per mt, 3 percent more than the previous week.

Fuel

For the week ending March 2, the U.S. average diesel fuel price decreased 3.1 cents from the previous week to $2.851 per gallon, 22.5 cents below the same week last year.