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Ag transportation expert: unclear how low Mississippi River is affecting ag exports

Mississippi River levels are lower now than they were in the 2022 drought and an ag transportation expert says it’s unclear how much it has impacted U.S. ag exports.

Mike Steenhoek with the Soy Transportation Coalition says there’s been a 25% reduction in capacity per barge and fewer barges moving down the Mississippi River and “it’s clearly having an impact.”

But he says the ag export pace has been slow and that’s helped mitigate any setbacks from reduced volume moving down the Mississippi River.

“The world just has a lot of soybeans. But then also, related to the U.S. specifically, the value of the U.S. dollar is stronger and it makes our exports less competitive compared to other countries. Finally, interest rates are having an impact as well.”

He says exporters are using other modes of transportation, like rail, are being used to haul grain to the Pacific Northwest or the East Coast to avoid any backups