U.S. Class I railroads moved 28,001 grain carloads during the week ending Sept. 12, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service’s latest Weekly Grain Transportation Report.
The figure marks a 2% increase from the previous week, 16% more than the same period last year and 30% more than the three-year average.
Rail shipping costs showed mixed trends. Average September shuttle secondary railcar bids reached $525 above tariff for the week ending Sept. 17, down $67 from the prior week but up $228 from last year. Non-shuttle bids averaged $113 above tariff, climbing $13 from the previous week.
Barge traffic slowed during the week ending Sept. 19, with grain movements totaling 376,954 tons. That represented a 14% drop from the previous week, though volumes remained 44% higher than the same week last year. Workers unloaded 799 grain barges in the New Orleans region, 10% more than the previous week.
Ocean shipping painted a different picture. Only 28 oceangoing grain vessels loaded in the Gulf for the week ending Sept. 17, down 24% from last year. However, 51 vessels are expected to load within the next 10 days, 21% more than the same period last year.
Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan held steady at $76.75 per metric ton, while Pacific Northwest to Japan rates dipped 2% to $37 per metric ton.
Export sales softened across major grains. Unshipped balances for corn, soybeans and wheat totaled 36.60 million metric tons for marketing year 2026/27, down 4% from the prior week despite running 28% ahead of last year.
Net corn export sales reached 0.84 million metric tons, down 5% from the previous week. Soybean sales fell 66% to 0.58 million metric tons, while wheat sales dropped 18% to 0.27 million metric tons.
