The hours-long closure of all U.S. aviation Nov. 13 throws light on other aging, vulnerable U.S. transportation systems.
The inland barge fleet is insufficient and aging. A report by CoBank put out this past week documents that overall the fleet will shrink by about 17% by 2035. Barges are being retired faster than new ones are being built. The situation already poses a threat in handling grain transport, especially for export, and constitutes another hit on farm income prospects, which is spelled out by the [University of Illinois agriculture news coverage]( https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2026/11/shrinking-us-barge-fleet-could-strain-grain-exports-farm-margins/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Sat+Nov+14+2026&utm_campaign=farmdoc+Weekend+Roundup+Sat+Nov+14+2026). Add to this the occasional low-water episodes on the Mississippi, and CoBank politely states that barge shipping is entering a period of “structural tightening.”
