Seasonal Trends in Grain Barge Traffic to New Orleans

Here’s a note on the seasonality of grain cargo shipments in the North Atlantic. In the United States, the harvest season for major crops traded by sea, such as soybeans and corn, typically runs from September to October for soybeans and extends to November for corn, according to the USDA. We recently highlighted the importance of the Mississippi River and the extensive U.S. river network in supporting the agricultural economy and facilitating grain exports from the U.S. These waterways link the productive Midwest farmlands to the significant export hub of New Orleans via grain barge traffic. Monitoring this traffic provides valuable insights into the supply of cargo for ocean transport.

Currently, our focus is on the data provided by the USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service, which keeps a record of the weekly grain barge discharges at export-oriented grain elevators stretching from Baton Rouge to Myrtle Grove. Using this information, we’ve crafted a chart that depicts the monthly trends of average weekly grain barge discharges in the vicinity of New Orleans, spanning from 2005 up to November 2023. This chart serves as a visual representation of the fluctuations in grain transport via barges, offering insights into the logistical patterns of grain exports.

As anticipated, the pattern of grain barge movements from the American heartland to New Orleans for international export aligns with the U.S. harvest season for soybeans and corn. There is a noticeable peak in October and November, indicating an increase in cargo seasonality for dry bulk carriers in the U.S. Gulf region at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter. This is followed by a downturn, with the lowest activity occurring during the summer months.

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