For the week ending Aug. 1, total inspections of grain (corn, wheat, and soybeans) for export from all major U.S. export regions was 2.12 million metric tons (mmt), the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported today in its weekly Grain Transportation Report (GTR).
This is down 4% from the previous week, 18% from last year, and 15% below the three-year average. Inspections were down from the previous week for each of the three major grains, GTR said.
Despite the decrease in overall inspections of grain, Mississippi Gulf grain inspections increased 21% from the previous week. The increase was primarily due to increased inspections of soybeans and wheat. Total grain inspections in the Mississippi Gulf were also the highest since late April. Pacific Northwest (PNW) grain inspections decreased 22% from week to week, the USDA reported.
For the week ending Aug. 3, barge grain movements totaled 677,434 tons, a 14% drop from the previous week and 16% less than the same period last year, the GTR said. For the week ending Aug. 3, 442 grain barges moved down river, 54 fewer barges than the previous week. There were 660 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 12% more than the previous week.
