The cost of delivering U.S. corn, soybeans and wheat to Mexico rose on every tracked route from the second to the third quarter of 2026, as higher barge, ocean and truck rates added to rising farm values, according to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
The quarterly analysis, published Thursday in the agency's Grain Transportation Report, tracks landed costs, or transportation plus farm value, on two kinds of routes. Water routes move Illinois grain by truck, barge and ocean vessel to Veracruz. Land routes move Iowa corn, Missouri soybeans and Kansas wheat by truck and rail to U.S.-Mexico border crossings.
Water routes took the biggest hit. Total transportation cost for Illinois corn and soybeans to Veracruz rose 18% from the second quarter to $82.68 per metric ton and 30.7% from a year earlier. Barge rates jumped 26.2% to $37.75 per metric ton, ocean freight rose 9.5% to $23.49 and truck costs climbed 14.6% to $21.44. Wheat transportation costs rose 24% to $73.21 per metric ton, led by a 49.9% increase in barge rates.
USDA tied the barge increase to the usual harvest rise plus capacity and logistics problems from low water on the Mississippi River. It said higher ocean rates reflected strong bulk movements, including grain, geopolitical tensions and higher bunker fuel prices, while truck costs followed diesel.
Landed cost for corn delivered to Veracruz rose 6.8% from the second quarter to $262.33 per metric ton, with transportation making up 32% of the total. Soybeans rose 6.2% to $527.28 and wheat 9.1% to $297.96.
Land routes moved less. Rail and truck costs for Iowa corn to the border rose 2.8% to $72.95 per metric ton, pushing landed cost up 3.1% to $249.06. Missouri soybeans were the only case where transportation costs fell, down 2.1% to $51.94 on lower tariff rail rates, though higher farm values still raised landed cost 3.6%. Kansas wheat stood out on farm value, up 15.9% from the second quarter and 47.6% from a year earlier, driving landed cost up 13.1% to $295.63.
Third-quarter shipments diverged by crop. Using USDA Foreign Agricultural Service trade data, the report said U.S. corn exports to Mexico rose 11% from the second quarter to 7.22 million metric tons, up 2% from a year earlier. Soybean exports fell 16% to 860,000 metric tons, down 40% from a year earlier, and wheat rose 10% to 1.18 million metric tons, down 12% year over year.
From January through September, corn exports to Mexico were unchanged from 2025, while soybeans were down 18% and wheat down 3%. USDA said its second-quarter ocean rates reflect 30,000- to 35,000-metric-ton vessels rather than the larger ships used previously.
