Barge Dashboard

Snapshot of Latest Data

Grain Barge Movements by Commodity
Grain Barge Movements by Locks
Barge Rates
Empty Barge Movements

Introduction

The agricultural industry relies on the U.S. inland waterways navigation system to ship grains from production States to domestic destinations and export markets. Via the Mississippi River Navigation System, barges deliver roughly 90 percent of the grain exported through the Mississippi Gulf port region. USDA collects the following two datasets on barged grain volumes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Lock Performance Monitoring System (LPMS) and Waterborne Commerce Statistics (WCS) data. USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) also collects and reports barge freight rates every week. 
This page collates a variety of important barge performance indices that will be updated as new data are available based on WCS and LPMS data. Each visualization provides a link to its underlying processed data. Another hyperlink from the processed data allows users access to the raw datasets.  
Check back weekly for the newest data!

Barge Freight Rates 

AMS collects and reports weekly barge rates in select locations with key information on the barged grain market in the Mississippi River Navigation System. Rates for barge services are determined by such factors as market supply and demand, barge age, and size of the barge fleet. 
Barge rates can be very volatile, because sudden shifts in demand for barge services can significantly raise or lower barge rates. Shippers may react to the higher rates by postponing shipments until rates fall or by shipping via an alternate mode. However, when a surplus of barges exists, an increase in demand is handled by the oversupply. Other reasons for fluctuating demand and volatile barge rates include the scheduled planting and harvesting of summer crops (both those of the United States and of major U.S. competitors).
 The charts show historical downbound barge rates, on average, and by specific locations. 
To calculate barge rates for a specific location, multiply the tariff rates shown in the charts by their corresponding benchmark rate to find the cost per ton (in dollars). As an example, a 289-percent tariff for a St. Louis grain barge would equal 2.89 multiplied by the St. Louis benchmark rate of $3.99, or $11.53 per ton.  Each river segment has its own benchmark, with the northernmost segments having the highest benchmarks. Further explanation of how to calculate barge rates can be found in this document.
The chart below provides a historical overview of barged grain freight rates by week. In general, rates are higher during harvest season (the third and fourth quarters of the year). 

Grain Barge Movements

The Mississippi River, Illinois River, and Ohio River are the primary waterways for moving agricultural products by barge. They are especially important for transporting bulk grains and oilseeds from the Midwest to export ports in New Orleans, LA. New Orleans is the leading port for exported corn and soybeans.  
The two charts below contain historical weekly totals of downbound barged grain tonnage locking through Locks and Dam 27 on the Mississippi River, Olmsted Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, and Lock 1 on the Arkansas River. All told, weekly tonnage provides an approximate estimate of total U.S. grain moved by the Mississippi River Navigation System through the Gulf to export markets. 
Weekly Barge Movements on Mississippi River Navigation System (2013-Present)

Grain, Fertilizer, and Empty Barge Movements on Different Rivers and Locks

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s data on waterborne commerce statistics (WCS), barges moved 59 million tons of grain to the Central Gulf area (internal traffic) in 2019, mostly to New Orleans to serve export demand. Besides grain shipments, the WCS data help track shipments of fertilizer and other raw material on the inland waterways. The data also track the traffic volume of empty barges, shedding light on the demand for grain and other commodities, barge logistics, and export and import markets.
This section examines the monthly total tonnages of major grain commodities and fertilizer, along with the numbers of empty barges locking through the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), Illinois River, Ohio River, Arkansas River, and Columbia River. The select locations provide an overview of barge movements in U.S. inland waterways for a given time period. 
Upper Mississippi River (UMR): Lock and Dam 6, Locks and Dam 15, and Locks and Dam 27
The UMR is one of the most vital inland navigation systems for the U.S. grain industry. The UMR consists of an 854-mile segment of the Mississippi River, running from the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock in Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN, to the southernmost set of locks (Locks 27) at Granite City, IL (near St. Louis), about 185 miles upstream from the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  
The charts show total tonnages of grain commodities, fertilizer, and the number of empty barges locking through Lock and Dam 6 (near Trempealeu, WI), Locks and Dam 15 (near Rock Island, IL), and Locks and Dam 27 (near Granite City, IL).  
Monthly Grain Movements by Locks
Monthly Grain Movements by Commodity
Monthly Empty Barge Movements by Locks
Monthly Fertilizer Movements by Locks
Illinois River: Peoria Lock and Dam (Lock 7) and LaGrange Lock and Dam (Lock 8)
Providing a navigable connection between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River, the Illinois River is a principal tributary of Mississippi River and is approximately 273 miles (439 km) long. The waterway includes eight single-chamber locks and dams to move shipments between Chicago and Grafton, IL. The Illinois River provides a cost-effective option for producers to move grains from farms and local elevators to domestic and foreign markets.
The charts show monthly total tonnages of grain commodities, fertilizer, and the number of empty barges locking through Peoria Lock and Dam (near Grafton, IL) and LaGrange Lock and Dam (near Versailles, IL). 
Monthly Grain Movements by Locks
Monthly Grain Movements by Commodity
Monthly Empty Barge Movements by Locks
Monthly Fertilizer Movements by Locks
Ohio River: McAlpine Locks and Dam and Olmsted Locks and Dam 
The Ohio River runs 981 miles from its source in Western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River, near Cairo, IL. The Ohio River flows either through the middle or along the border of the following States: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The river’s drainage basin includes 14 States. Each year, more than 184 million tons of cargo move along the Ohio River. The top three commodities are coal, crude materials, and petroleum. In 2020, 2.4 million tons of grain locked through Olmsted Locks and Dam on the Ohio River. 
The charts show monthly total tonnages of grain commodities, fertilizer, and the number of empty barges locking through McAlpine Locks and Dam (near Louisville, KY, Lock 42) and Olmsted Locks and Dam (in Olmsted, IL, Lock 79).
Monthly Grain Movements by Locks
Monthly Grain Movements by Commodity
Monthly Empty Barge Movements by Locks
Monthly Fertilizer Movements by Locks
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System: James W. Trimble Lock and Dam and Norrell Lock and Dam
The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) has 18 locks and dams—13 in Arkansas and 5 in Oklahoma. All 18 lock chambers are 110 feet wide by 600 feet long and can handle an 8-barge tow. Downbound barges ship soybeans, wheat, lumber, steel, coal, gypsum, scrap iron, rock, refined petroleum products, and manufactured equipment. The value of these commodities averages from $2 to $3 billion per year. 
The charts show monthly total tonnages of grain commodities, fertilizer, and the number of empty barges locking through James W. Trimble Lock and Dam (near Fort Smith, AK, Lock 13) and Norrell Lock and Dam (near Tichnor, AR, Lock 1). In MKARNS, Lock 13 is the first lock downbound barge traffic passes as it leaves Oklahoma and enters Arkansas. Information about Lock 13's traffic helps track the flow of barged commodities between these two States.
Monthly Grain Movements by Locks
Monthly Grain Movements by Commodity
Monthly Empty Barge Movements by Locks
Monthly Fertilizer Movements by Locks
Columbia/Snake River Navigation System: Bonneville Lock and Dam and McNary Lock and Dam
The Columbia/Snake River system has 7 grain export terminals, 26 up-country grain barge loading terminals, and 8 dams that lift barges a combined 735 feet. Annually, the seven export terminals on the Columbia River export 29 million tons of grain, including 13 million tons of wheat. These volumes make the Columbia/Snake River System the third-largest grain export corridor in the world, behind the Mississippi River and the Paraná River in South America. The majority of barged wheat moved on the Columbia/Snake River System is for export markets. About 80 percent these exports are destined to east or southeast Asia. 
The charts show monthly total tonnages of grain commodities, fertilizer, and the number of empty barges locking through Bonneville Lock and Dam (40 miles east of Portland, OR, Lock 1) and McNary Lock and Dam (near Umatilla, OR, Lock 24). Lock 24 is located at the Idaho/Oregon border.  Information about Lock 24's traffic helps track the flow of barged commodities between these States.
USDA/AMS started to collect and publish Columbia/Snake River monthly data from February 2021. 
Monthly Grain Movements by Locks
Monthly Grain Movements by Commodity
Monthly Empty Barge Movements by Locks
Monthly Fertilizer Movements by Locks

Grain Barge Data by Commodity, Origin, and Destination

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s WCS data, barges moved 59 million tons of bulk grain to the Central Gulf (internal traffic) in 2019, mostly to New Orleans to serve export markets. By volume, corn and soybeans represented more than 95 percent of the total grain movements. Barges also moved fertilizer and other farm products through the inland waterways system. 

Annual Movements by Commodity

Corn, soybeans, and wheat are the major bulk grain commodities moved along the Mississippi River through the Gulf to export markets. From 2001 to 2019, the annual tons of grain barged to the Gulf, as a share of total U.S. barged grain tonnage, dropped from 44.3 percent to 37.6 percent. From 2001 to 2018, grain tonnage barged to the Gulf rose 20 percent, from 147.6 million tons in 2001 to 177.7 million tons in 2018. In 2019, however, the tonnage dropped to 11 percent from the previous year, mostly because of the U.S.-China trade dispute.

Origins and Destinations

Barges play an important role in U.S. grain export sales by providing cost-effective transportation of grain production to export facilities. Louisiana is the top destination for bulk grain moved by barge (especially for corn and soybeans), followed by Washington (for wheat).  In 2020, the New Orleans District exported $3.9 billion in corn and $16.9 billion in soybeans. The charts below summarize annual grain barge movements from origin to destination States.