High Volumes of Grain Moved Through MRS Locks Last Week
View SourceHigh Volumes of Grain Moved Through MRS Locks Last Week. For the week ending December 28, 945,000 tons of grain moved southbound through the locks on the Mississippi River System (MRS). This weekly volume marked the largest this year and the largest since the week ending May 28, 2022, when 947,000 tons of grain moved through the locks (GTR table 10). Also, for the week ending December 28,
500,000 tons of corn moved through the locks—the largest weekly volume this year and the largest for the last week of the year since 2020, when 497,000 tons of corn moved through the locks. Last week’s 410,000 tons of soybeans moving through the locks likewise marked the largest volume for the last week of the year since 2020, when 482,000 tons moved through the locks.
Recent increases in export sales of corn and soybeans have been driving the rise in grain movements, despite tow and draft restrictions along the MRS (GTR table 14). Record cold temperatures are expected in the Ohio Valley and the Mississippi Valley in the next 2 weeks, which could affect barge movements along the MRS.
