Items Tagged with 'BNSF'

Major rail carriers have made major gains in improving service over the past couple of years, but the fluidity of their lines will be tested in the next few months as they look to transport thousands of carloads of freshly harvested corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops across the country.

Agricultural interests are joining with major railroads to urge the Environmental Protection Agency to block California from enforcing new climate standards that would require railroads to switch to zero-emission locomotives.

The nation’s railroads as well as airlines and ocean-going ships offer massive new opportunities for the U.S. biofuel industry, but some significant policy and logistical challenges could stand in the way.

The nation’s largest railroads, aided by low summer demand and intense recruiting initiatives, have made progress in shrinking the formidable freight backlogs that congested their lines this spring. But 62,000 engineers and conductors could once again throw the rail system into disarray if they go on strike Friday. 

The four largest U.S. railroads are optimistic about their plans to recruit more workers headed into the fall harvest, but Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman has expressed concern about how ready the railroads are.

The UK sent its top agriculture official to the U.S. this week in an effort to lay the groundwork for an eventual trade agreement with the U.S.

Major railroads are under attack by the ag industry, which says lack of personnel is hampering shipments and raising costs for companies forced to rely on secondary freight options.

USDA is using a new round of coronavirus relief funding to help farmers who serve local markets and socially disadvantaged producers. Food banks also will benefit from the $1 billion in funding that USDA is allocating.