Stalled barges due to low water level

According to industry data,  slowing of barge traffic on the Mississippi waterway including major tributaries due to drought has raised the cost of downstream transport of soybeans for export by 300 percent year-to-date.  This has resulted in higher export prices making the U.S. less competitive on international markets and concurrently depressed prices paid to producers in the Midwest.

Narrowed chanel on the Mississippi restricts barge traffic

During 2021 barges transported 589 million tons of agricultural products valued at $405 Billion. The waterway system carries 90 percent of exported corn and soybeans for both export and for consumption by poultry producers in Southeast states.