Recent U.S. grain transportation data reveals steady rail volumes, a weekly decrease in barge movements, and increased ocean vessel activity, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service's May 29 report. While some weekly figures fluctuated, year-over-year comparisons indicate overall strength in grain movement, complemented by a continued decline in diesel fuel prices.
U.S. Class I railroads originated 25,478 grain carloads during the week ending May 17. This volume was unchanged from the previous week but represented a 10 percent increase compared to both last year and the 3-year average.
- Average June shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers per car were $109 below tariff for the week ending May 22. This was $6 more than the prior week but $109 lower than the same week last year.
- Average non-shuttle secondary railcar bids/offers per car were at tariff, a decrease of $42 from last week and $79 lower than the same week last year.
For the week ending May 24, barged grain movements totaled 734,650 tons. This marked a 17 percent decrease from the previous week, though it was 34 percent higher than the same period in 2024.
- During the same week, 514 grain barges moved down river, 77 fewer than the previous week.
- The New Orleans region saw 545 grain barges unloaded, a 12 percent decrease from the prior week.
Ocean freight activity showed positive trends. For the week ending May 22, 22 oceangoing grain vessels were loaded in the Gulf, 16 percent more than the same period last year.
- Projections for the next 10 days (starting May 23) indicated 38 vessels were expected to be loaded, up 19 percent from the comparable period in 2024.
- Shipping rates remained stable, with the cost for shipping a metric ton of grain from the U.S. Gulf to Japan at $46.25 as of May 22, unchanged from the previous week. The rate from the Pacific Northwest to Japan was also steady at $27.00 per metric ton.
Diesel prices continued their downward trend. For the week ending May 26, the U.S. average diesel price fell 4.9 cents from the previous week to $3.487 per gallon. This price is 27.1 cents lower than the same week last year.
For the week ending May 15, unshipped balances of corn, soybeans, and wheat for marketing year (MY) 2024/25 totaled 22.43 million metric tons (mmt). This figure was down 3 percent from the previous week but up 31 percent from the same time last year.
- Net corn export sales for MY 2024/25 were 1.19 mmt, a 29 percent decrease from the prior week.
- Net soybean export sales for MY 2024/25 reached 0.31 mmt, an increase of 9 percent from last week.
- Net wheat export sales for MY 2024/25 were -0.013 mmt, down 123 percent from the previous week, indicating net cancellations.
