For the week ending Oct. 31, total inspections of grain (corn, wheat, and soybeans) for export from all major U.S. export regions reached 2.14 million metric tons (mmt), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Inspections were down 20% from the previous week, down 28% from last year, and 36% below the three-year average, the USDA said in its Nov. 7 Grain Transportation Report. Total exports of grain for the week were down primarily because of lower exports to Latin America and Europe. From the past week, inspections of wheat and corn fell 47% and 30%, respectively, and soybean inspections decreased 9%.

Mississippi Gulf grain inspections decreased 28% from the previous week while inspections in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) dropped 8%.

For the week ending Nov. 2, grain barge movements totaled 662,450 tons. This represents a 0.2% decrease from the previous week and 23% less than the same period last year. For the week ending Nov. 2, 416 grain barges moved down river. This is two more barges than the previous week. There were 621 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 3% more than the previous week.

For the week ending Oct. 24, unshipped balances of wheat, corn, and soybeans totaled 23.3 mmt. This represents a 26% decrease in outstanding sales, compared to the same period last year. Net corn export sales reached .549 mmt, up 12% from the past week. Net soybean export sales were .944 mmt, up 99% from the previous week. Net weekly wheat export sales reached .494 mmt, up 99% from the from the previous week.