U.S. Class I railroads moved 27,850 grain carloads during the week ending January 24, down 13% from the previous week according to the Agricultural Marketing Service's Grain Transportation Report. Still, that’s 26% higher than last year and 14% above the three-year average, showing the industry’s resilience despite recent slowdowns.
Barge traffic took a bigger hit, with grain movements dropping 67% from the prior week to 189,300 tons. Only 122 barges moved downriver—287 fewer than the week before. On the bright side, grain barge unloads in the New Orleans region increased 15% to 909, signaling some activity on the receiving end.
Ocean shipments held steady, with 29 grain vessels loaded in the Gulf—matching last year’s pace. Looking ahead, 61 vessels are scheduled to load in the next 10 days, a 45% jump from last year. Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan ticked up 2% to $51.75 per metric ton, with Pacific Northwest rates also rising slightly.
Diesel prices edged higher, rising 5.7 cents to $3.68 per gallon, now just above last year’s levels.
Export sales showed some pullback: corn sales fell 37% to 1.04 million metric tons, soybeans dropped 47% to 440,000 metric tons, and wheat slipped 33% to 370,000 metric tons. Still, unshipped export balances remain strong at 43.18 million metric tons, up 19% from last year.
