NASHVILLE, TN – Grain shippers using the Arkansas River will need to plan around partial lock closures this summer. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says six locks on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System will be affected from June 15 through September 30.
The locks, spanning from Fort Smith to Little Rock, will close daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and reopen overnight, with a 70-foot width restriction for barge tows.
The timing matters for wheat, soybean and corn movement. In 2025, 1.4 million tons of grain moved through Norell Lock and Dam 1 at the mouth of the Arkansas River, led by wheat and soybeans.
Through the first 19 weeks of 2026, grain movement through that lock reached 583,000 tons, the strongest pace for that period since 2022.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s expanded ag export facility adds more capacity for DDGS, soybeans and soybean meal through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system.
Farm-Level Takeaway: River construction could slow some grain logistics, while new export capacity adds another outlet for Upper Midwest products.