How do river levels affect grain bids?
River levels affect grain bids only when they change the cost or ability to move grain by barge. GrainBrief records USGS gage height, in feet, at five public gauges: the Mississippi River at St. Louis and Memphis, the Ohio River at Metropolis, the Illinois River at Valley City, and the Missouri River at Kansas City. A higher or lower stage is not itself a bid.
How to use this answer
- Read the stage in feet and keep the observation time. USGS readings are provisional and can be revised.
- A missing gauge stays missing. GrainBrief does not fill a gap with the last stage or with a normal level.
- USACE lock and navigation notices are the separate source for closures and restrictions. A gauge reading does not prove a lock is closed.
- A stage change does not prove a basis or cash-bid change. Freight or movement evidence has to line up with the date before the bid connection is real.
- These five gauges are corridor context. They are not the stage at a local elevator.
Common follow-up questions
Which rivers does GrainBrief read?
The Mississippi at St. Louis and Memphis, the Ohio at Metropolis, the Illinois at Valley City, and the Missouri at Kansas City. The measurement is USGS gage height in feet.
Does a high river mean a lower bid?
Not by itself. High or low water can change barge movement, but the bid changes only when freight, a navigation restriction, or local buying actually changes.
Are the river numbers a forecast?
No. They are observed gage heights with a source timestamp. NOAA outlooks are a different feed and do not replace the USGS stage.