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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, February 28, 2025
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.
The shipping delays that plagued railroad networks last year have improved amid increases in staffing, though Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is calling for more action from the Surface Transportation Board to address what he calls “inadequate” and “unreliable” service from railroad companies.
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.
Ag groups are calling into question a number of practices employed by the nation’s rail carriers and the Surface Transportation Board is taking action in an effort to hold companies accountable.