The U.S. grain transportation sector showed varied performance across different modes, according to the latest Grain Transportation Report from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
U.S. Class I railroads originated 28,263 grain carloads for the week ending April 12, 2025, marking a 1% increase from the previous week and a 19% rise year-over-year. The figure also surpassed the 3-year average by 12%.
Barge movements, however, experienced a downturn. For the week ending April 19, barged grain totaled 469,468 tons, a 17% decrease from the previous week but a slight 1% increase from the same period last year.
Ocean freight saw an uptick, with 34 oceangoing grain vessels loaded in the Gulf for the week ending April 17 — 21% more than the same period last year.
Fuel costs offered some relief to shippers, with the U.S. average diesel price decreasing 4.5 cents to $3.534 per gallon for the week ending April 21, 45.8 cents below last year's price.
Export sales showed promise, particularly for corn and soybeans. Net corn export sales for marketing year 2024/25 reached 1.56 million metric tons, a 99% increase from the previous week, while soybean sales surged 222% to 0.56 million metric tons.
