U.S. grain transportation showed mixed results across multiple modes in mid-May, according to the latest Grain Transportation Report released May 21 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The weekly report tracks rail, barge, ocean vessel and export sales data for the agriculture industry.
Rail
U.S. Class I railroads originated 29,347 grain carloads for the week ending May 9, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service. This figure marks a 4% decrease from the previous week but stands 18% higher than the same week last year and 28% above the three-year average.
Shuttle secondary railcar bids averaged $700 above tariff for the week ending May 14, up $104 from the previous week and $835 higher than a year ago. Non-shuttle secondary railcar bids remained steady at $50 above tariff, unchanged from last week and $150 lower than the same week last year.
Barge
Barged grain movements totaled 723,150 tons for the week ending May 16, a 14% increase from the previous week but 18% below the same week last year. A total of 458 barges moved down river, 40 more than the prior week. However, 467 grain barges were unloaded in the New Orleans region, a 7% decrease from the previous week.
Ocean
For the week ending May 14, 22 oceangoing grain vessels were loaded in the Gulf, 19% fewer than the same period last year. Looking ahead, 37 vessels are expected to be loaded in the next 10 days, a 42% increase over last year. Shipping rates from the U.S. Gulf to Japan rose 6% to $72 per metric ton, while rates from the Pacific Northwest to Japan increased 3% to $37.25 per metric ton.
Fuel and Export Sales
The U.S. average diesel price fell 4.3 cents to $5.596 per gallon for the week ending May 18, but remains $2.06 higher than a year ago. Unshipped balances of corn, soybeans and wheat for the 2025/26 marketing year reached 28.05 million metric tons, up 2% from last week and 25% from last year. Net export sales for corn, soybeans and wheat all posted significant gains from the previous week.
