The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's December 25 Grain Transportation Report showed transportation costs via the U.S. Gulf route increased 14 percent quarter to quarter for both corn and soybeans, driven by an 18 percent rise in barge freight rates and a 17 percent jump in ocean freight rates. Trucking costs, however, decreased 4 percent. Despite these increases, year-to-year transportation costs fell slightly due to lower truck and ocean freight rates.
Total landed costs, which combine farm values and transportation expenses, fell 3 percent quarter to quarter for corn, mainly due to a 12 percent drop in farm values, while soybean landed costs rose 1 percent. Year to year, landed costs declined less than 1 percent for corn and 4 percent for soybeans. Transportation accounted for 43 percent of corn’s landed cost and 24 percent for soybeans via the Gulf.
On the Pacific Northwest route, transportation costs rose 1 percent quarter to quarter, led by a 7 percent increase in ocean freight rates. Year to year, transportation costs fell 4 percent due to decreases in truck, rail, and ocean freight rates. Total landed costs dropped 7 percent for corn and 2 percent for soybeans quarter to quarter, reflecting lower farm values. Transportation made up 40 percent of corn’s and 24 percent of soybean’s landed costs on this route.
Inspection volumes showed strong growth. Gulf corn inspections reached 9.5 million metric tons, a 23 percent increase year to year, accounting for 51 percent of total corn inspections. Gulf soybean inspections also rose 23 percent to 4.9 million metric tons, representing 72 percent of total soybean inspections.
Pacific Northwest corn inspections more than doubled year to year to 4.2 million metric tons, driven by increased shipments to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Soybean inspections on the PNW route remained minimal.
USDA’s December 2025 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates project U.S. corn exports for marketing year 2025/26 to increase 12 percent from the previous year, while soybean export projections were not fully detailed in the report.
