Although water levels on the Mississippi are showing no signs of an upturn, barge pricing stabilized in the past week and restrictions at one of the largest barge shipping companies have not gotten any tighter.
The weekly Grain Transportation Report published late last week by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed barge rates slipping slightly to 549 from 556. The rates are quoted as a percentage of a base rate set to the year 2000, which represents 100.
However, even though 549 is less...