Recent U.S. grain transportation data indicates a significant uptick in barge movements and continued strong year-over-year rail performance, alongside an increase in diesel fuel costs, according to the latest Grain Transportation Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). These shifts have implications for logistics and operational costs within the feed and grain industry.
Key transportation and market highlights include:
Rail transportation
For the week ending May 10, U.S. Class I railroads originated 25,398 grain carloads. This volume represents:
- A 3 percent decrease from the previous week.
- A 27 percent increase compared to the same week last year.
- An 11 percent increase over the 3-year average.
In the secondary railcar market for the week ending May 15, average May shuttle bids/offers were $135 per car below tariff, a decrease of $26 from the prior week and $298 lower than last year. Average non-shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers were $200 per car above tariff, down $75 from last week and $200 lower than the same week last year.
Barge movements
Barged grain movements saw a substantial increase for the week ending May 17, totaling 885,881 tons. This was:
- 20 percent more than the previous week.
- 25 percent more than the same period last year.
During that week, 591 grain barges moved down river, an increase of 108 from the previous week. In the New Orleans region, 622 grain barges were unloaded, 29 percent more than the week prior.
Ocean freight
For the week ending May 15, 27 oceangoing grain vessels were loaded in the U.S. Gulf, a 42 percent increase compared to the same period last year. However, looking ahead, 26 vessels were expected to be loaded in the next 10 days (starting May 16), which is 28 percent fewer than the same period last year.
Ocean freight rates as of May 15 showed:
- U.S. Gulf to Japan: $46.25 per metric ton, unchanged from the previous week.
- Pacific Northwest to Japan: $27.00 per metric ton, down 1 percent from the previous week.
Fuel prices
The U.S. average diesel price for the week ending May 19 increased by 6.0 cents from the previous week to $3.536 per gallon. This price is 25.3 cents lower than the same week last year.
Export sales
For the week ending May 8, unshipped balances of corn, soybeans, and wheat for the 2024/25 marketing year totaled 23.23 million metric tons. This is a 1 percent decrease from the previous week but a 30 percent increase from the same time last year.
- Net corn export sales (MY 2024/25): 1.68 million metric tons, up 1 percent from last week.
- Net soybean export sales (MY 2024/25): 0.28 million metric tons, down 25 percent from last week.
- Net wheat export sales (MY 2024/25): 0.06 million metric tons, down 16 percent from last week.
