High Waters Slow U.S. Grain Movement to the Gulf

According to Federal Grain Inspections Service (FGIS) data, 48.1% of grain inspected for export in 2018 left via the Mississippi River, reportsUSSoy.org.

The percentage of U.S. soybeans exiting through the port in 2018 was even higher at 60.8%.

While the U.S. is currently holding record inventories of soybeans following bumper harvest this past fall, recent adverse weather conditions have slowed movement along the Mississippi River, the United States’ largest transportation waterway.

Issues began when high waters in the Ohio River, which feeds into the Mississippi in Cairo, IL, led to an accident outside of Louisville, KY, in late December that has resulted in ongoing traffic restrictions.