Grain transportation in the U.S. showed a mix of gains and declines in late March and early April, according to the latest Agricultural Marketing Service Grain Transportation Report.
Class I railroads originated 28,915 grain carloads for the week ending March 28, marking a 4% increase from the previous week and 5% more than the same period last year. This volume also surpassed the three-year average by 16%. Railcar bids for April shuttle secondary cars averaged $567 above tariff, rising $29 from the prior week and $511 higher than last year. Non-shuttle secondary railcar bids averaged $97 above tariff, slightly up from the previous week but down $3 compared to last year.
Barge grain movements for the week ending April 4 totaled 535,288 tons, a 23% drop from the previous week but 46% higher than the same week last year. The number of barges moving downriver fell by 131 to 332, while grain barge unloads in the New Orleans region increased 10% to 765.
Ocean shipments also showed growth, with 29 grain vessels loaded in the Gulf during the week ending April 2, a 4% increase from last year. An additional 41 vessels were expected to load in the following 10 days, 3% more than the previous year. Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan rose 4% to $63.50 per metric ton, while rates from the Pacific Northwest remained steady at $34.00.
Diesel fuel prices surged 24.2 cents to $5.643 per gallon for the week ending April 6, more than $2 higher than the same week last year.
Export sales for marketing year 2025/26 showed mixed results. Unshipped balances of corn, soybeans, and wheat totaled 33.87 million metric tons, down 3% from last week but up 24% year-over-year. Net corn export sales rose 18% to 1.36 million metric tons, soybean sales fell 16% to 0.30 million metric tons, and wheat sales increased significantly to 0.164 million metric tons.
