Barge Restrictions Mean Shipping Complications on Mississippi River

High water and strong currents on the lower Mississippi River are squeezing barge traffic and driving up the cost of agricultural shipping, reports theStar Tribune.

As the snow melts in the Upper Midwest and flows into the waterway, barge traffic is expected to slow even more, further limiting the movement of grain south and fertilizer north.

“High water is slowing transit. It’s limiting tow sizes, speeds are reduced; it creates some safety risks,” John Griffith, senior vice president of global grain at CHS Inc., told theStar Tribune.

This may persist for the rest of March, according to theU.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly Grain Transportation Report, released Friday.