A new challenge is emerging for inland transportation via the Mississippi in the USA, as the water level is continuously decreasing, making the passage of floating barges difficult. Consequently, transportation related to the shipment of agricultural goods, such as soybeans and corn, via the river is being impacted before they are sent abroad.
It is noted that in October, given that it constitutes a harvest month for American farmers’ crops, traffic on the Mississippi River is typically intense with floating barges, loaded with agricultural goods. At the same time, in 2025 disruptions in cargo movement via the Mississippi are being recorded for the third consecutive year.
In fact, at a critical point of the river, near the area of Cairo in Illinois, the river level has dropped by three feet. A drop in the water level has also been recorded in other states through which the river passes. The restrictions on the loading level of barges on the river constitute a “trap” for domestic US transportation, with the effects potentially spilling over into international trade transportation.
