For the week ending Aug. 23, total inspections of grain (corn, wheat, and soybeans) for export from all major U.S. export regions reached 2.69 million metric tons (mmt), up 18% from the previous week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported today.
Grain inspections were up 16% from same period last year, and 23% above the three-year average, the USDA said in its weekly Grain Transportation Report. The increase in total inspections is primarily attributed to a 14% increase in corn inspections and a 39% jump in soybean inspections. Soybean inspections were the highest since early March, with increased shipments to Asia and Latin America. Inspections of wheat, however, were unchanged from the previous week.
Grain inspections in the Pacific Northwest increased 27% from the previous week, and 17% in the Mississippi Gulf. Outstanding (unshipped) export sales were down for corn, wheat, and soybeans, the USDA said.
For the week ending Aug. 25, barge grain movements totaled 877,454 tons, 23% higher than the previous week and down 3% from the same period last year, according to the GTR.. For the week ending Aug. 25, 570 grain barges moved down river, 129 barges more than the previous week. There were 750 grain barges unloaded in New Orleans, 3% higher than the previous week.
