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Increased export sales and mixed transportation trends

Weekly grain report reveals significant uptick in corn, soybean and wheat exports, while transportation sectors show varied performance across rail, barge and ocean freight.

Railway Tracks Pixabay

The latest Grain Transportation Report, a weekly publication from the Agricultural Marketing Service, reveals significant increases in export sales and varied trends across transportation modes for the week ending January 9, 2025. Here are the key takeaways:

Export sales:

  • Total unshipped balances of corn, soybeans, and wheat for marketing year 2024/25 stood at 36.67 million metric tons (mmt), down 3% week-over-week but up 4% year-over-year.
  • Net corn export sales surged 130% from the previous week to 1.02 mmt.
  • Soybean export sales increased by 160% to 0.57 mmt.
  • Wheat export sales saw a dramatic 361% increase to 0.51 mmt.

Rail transportation:

  • U.S. Class I railroads originated 25,602 grain carloads, up 5% from the previous week and 11% year-over-year, but 5% below the 3-year average.
  • January shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers averaged $13 below tariff, a $100 increase from the previous week.
  • February shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers were $106 above tariff, $144 higher than the previous week but $156 lower than the same period last year.

Barge movement:

  • Barged grain movements totaled 428,300 tons, down 5% week-over-week but up 28% year-over-year.
  • 284 grain barges moved downriver, 9 fewer than the previous week.
  • New Orleans region saw 911 grain barges unloaded, a 9% increase from the previous week.

Ocean freight:

  • 30 oceangoing grain vessels were loaded in the Gulf, 14% fewer than the same period last year.
  • Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan decreased 1% to $45.75 per metric ton, while rates from the Pacific Northwest to Japan increased 1% to $26.25 per metric ton.

Fuel prices:

  • The U.S. average diesel price rose 11.3 cents to $3.715 per gallon, still 12.3 cents below the same week last year.

This report underscores the dynamic nature of grain transportation and export markets, with notable increases in export sales across major commodities. 

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