Grain Shipments Surge Through US Locks Amid Peak Harvest Season

The USDA's AgTransport service has released its weekly report on downbound barge grain movements for the week ending July 25, 2026. According to the data, total commodity tonnage for the week included approximately 1.598 million short tons of corn, 710,050 short tons of soybeans, 38,000 short tons of other grain, and 26,377 short tons of wheat.

Lock-specific tonnage figures showed the highest volume at Mississippi River Locks 27, with 703,800 short tons. Corn shipments dominated traffic at several key locks, including Mississippi Locks 27, where corn accounted for 491,500 short tons, and Mississippi Lock 26, which saw 484,000 short tons of corn.

Soybean movements were concentrated on the Mississippi River system, with Mississippi Locks 27 recording 201,200 short tons. Wheat shipments were limited, with Arkansas Lock 1 handling 14,000 short tons and Ohio Olmsted recording 10,777 short tons.