Grain exporters have several options: paying higher transportation costs, storing grain, sending more of it to the domestic market or cutting their losses.
The Association of American Railroads estimates that a nationwide strike could cost about $2 billion each day, while shippers groups rally Congress to intervene in the event a strike seems imminent.
Peak harvest season begins in the U.S. soon, and grain shippers are hoping rail service will be able to meet market demand.
Foster Poultry Farms asked STB last week to order UP to improve rail service to two poultry processing plants in California. The board agreed to that request.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack wants the Surface Transportation Board to move forward with proceedings that would address rail service for grain and agricultural products shippers.
The rail district, a public-private partnership with Merced County, will serve agricultural producers in the region.
A portal to provide agricultural shippers with visibility for their covered hopper cars will help them conform to food safety transportation standards and prevent cross-contact with food allergens.
AgTC’s Peter Freidmann highlights the hurdles U.S. food exporters confront as they vie for containers to transport their goods.
California calls on feds to protect exporters. Shipping groups claim California export cure will worsen congestion — including for importers.
“This is one of the most difficult seasons we’ve been facing trying to move our cargo out of the United States,” says a California almond producer.
PCS Software has acquired UltraShip TMS, a cloud-based supply chain transportation management system company.
Bulk soybean and corn exports are way up, but containerized ag exports are waylaid by equipment shortfalls and Chinese inspections.
High cost of repositioning reefer equipment is hitting food exporters hard amid ongoing tariff fallout.
Iowa transportation company Travero plans to open a multimodal cross-dock operation by next September.
