U.S. Class I railroads originated 27,818 grain carloads during the week ending March 21, marking a 9% decrease from the previous week but a 7% increase compared to last year, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Grain Transportation Report. This volume also exceeded the three-year average by 16%.
Railcar bid prices rose notably, with average April shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers reaching $538 above tariff for the week ending March 26—$150 higher than the previous week and $328 more than the same week last year. Non-shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers averaged $92 above tariff, slightly up from last week but down $33 from the prior year.
Barge grain movements increased 11% from the previous week to 691,308 tons for the week ending March 28, a 1% rise year-over-year. A total of 463 barges moved downriver, 76 more than the prior week, while 695 grain barges were unloaded in the New Orleans region, a 7% decrease from the previous week.
Ocean shipments also grew, with 33 oceangoing grain vessels loaded in the Gulf during the week ending March 26, up 3% from last year. An additional 42 vessels were expected to load in the following 10 days, a 14% increase year-over-year. Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan fell 2% to $61.25 per metric ton, while rates from the Pacific Northwest to Japan dropped 1% to $34.00 per metric ton.
Export sales showed declines, with unshipped balances of corn, soybeans, and wheat totaling 34.89 million metric tons for marketing year 2025/26, down 4% from last week but up 22% from the previous year. Net corn export sales decreased 6%, soybeans fell 47%, and wheat dropped 94% compared to the prior week.
