Rising water levels due to melting snow and heavy rains in the Midwest are expected to halt barge traffic on the Upper Mississippi River for several weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

The agency said all locks and dams above Lock 17, located just north of Burlington, will be closed for three weeks, and no freight is being accepted along the Twin Cities and mid-Mississippi portions of the river.

Though it isn’t a busy export period for the United...