U.S. grain transportation showed divergent trends across rail, barge and ocean modes during late April, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service weekly grain transportation report. Rail shipments posted strong year-over-year gains while barge movements declined and ocean shipping rates edged lower. Export sales demonstrated solid corn and wheat demand despite mixed signals in transportation costs.
Rail transportation shows strong gains
U.S. Class I railroads originated 30,681 grain carloads during the week ending April 18, marking an 8-percent increase from the previous week. The figure represents a significant 26 percent jump compared to the same period last year and 26 percent above the three-year average.
Rail transportation costs presented a mixed picture for grain shippers. Average May shuttle secondary railcar bids reached $369 above tariff for the week ending April 23, down $31 from the previous week but $472 higher than the same week in 2025. Non-shuttle secondary railcar bids averaged $42 above tariff, declining $27 from the previous week and $21 lower than last year.
Barge movements decline despite New Orleans uptick
Barged grain movements totaled 638,150 tons for the week ending April 25, representing an 11 percent decrease from the previous week and 5 percent below the same period last year. The number of barges moving downriver dropped to 422, down 53 from the previous week.
However, grain barge unloading activity in the New Orleans region showed strength, with 784 barges processed, 28 percent more than the previous week.
Ocean shipping maintains steady pace
Gulf ports loaded 26 oceangoing grain vessels during the week ending April 23, 4 percent above the same period last year. Looking ahead, 42 vessels are expected to load within the next 10 days starting April 24, representing a substantial 56 percent increase over last year.
Shipping rates to Japan declined modestly, with U.S. Gulf rates falling 1 percent to $66.50 per metric ton and Pacific Northwest rates dropping 1 percent to $35.00 per metric ton.
Export sales show strong corn demand
Net corn export sales for marketing year 2025/26 reached 1.60 million metric tons, up 21 percent from the previous week. Wheat export sales surged 176 percent to 0.23 million metric tons, while soybean sales declined 29 percent to 0.26 million metric tons.
Total unshipped balances for corn, soybeans and wheat stood at 30.94 million metric tons, down 2 percent from last week but 30 percent above the same time last year.
