U.S. Class I railroads transported 27,840 grain carloads during the week ending August 1, representing a 5% increase from the same period last year and 30% above the three-year average. While rail grain shipments climbed, barge traffic declined 16% year-over-year, and ocean shipping activity at Gulf ports increased 14% compared to last year.
- Rail grain shipments reached 27,840 carloads for the week ending August 1, up 5% year-over-year and 30% above the three-year average
- Rail car competition intensified with average August shuttle secondary railcar bids reaching $83 above tariff, a $217 increase from the same period last year
- Barge grain movements totaled 716,850 tons, down 11% weekly and 16% year-over-year
- Ocean shipping activity strengthened with 33 grain vessels loading at Gulf ports during the week ending August 6, up 14% from last year
- Export sales showed strength in corn and soybeans, with soybean sales jumping 134% from the previous week to 0.075 million metric tons
U.S. Class I railroads moved 27,840 grain carloads during the week ending August 1, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service’s latest Grain Transportation Report. The figure marks a 1% increase from the previous week and a 5% jump from the same period last year. The numbers also came in 30% higher than the three-year average.
Competition for rail cars intensified as average August shuttle secondary railcar bids reached $83 above tariff for the week ending August 6. That represents a $6 increase from the previous week and a substantial $217 gain compared to this time last year. Non-shuttle secondary railcar bids averaged $44 above tariff, dropping $67 from last week.
Barge traffic moved in the opposite direction. For the week ending August 8, barged grain movements totaled 716,850 tons, down 11% from the previous week and 16% below the same week last year. River traffic included 460 barges moving downriver, 67 fewer than the week before. The New Orleans region unloaded 724 grain barges, 21% more than the previous week.
Ocean shipping activity picked up at Gulf ports, where 33 grain vessels loaded during the week ending August 6. That’s 14% more than last year’s comparable period. Shippers expect 30 vessels to load within the next 10 days starting August 7, though that’s 9% fewer than the same timeframe last year.
Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan rose to $71.50 per metric ton, up 3% from the previous week. Pacific Northwest to Japan rates climbed 1% to $36.75 per metric ton.
Diesel fuel prices dropped 9.1 cents during the week ending August 10, settling at $5.257 per gallon. Still, that’s $1.50 higher than the same week last year.
Export sales showed strength in corn and soybeans. Net corn export sales for marketing year 2025/26 reached 0.41 million metric tons, up significantly from the previous week. Soybean sales totaled 0.075 million metric tons, jumping 134% from last week. Wheat sales declined 14% to 0.26 million metric tons.
