Infrastructure
Patrick Scates runs a service company, not a fertilizer company. His Shawneetown, Ill., terminal is targeted to go live Dec. 1 and is built to let wholesalers share the infrastructure bill.
CoBank projects the U.S. inland barge fleet shrinking about 17% by 2035 while USDA expects grain and oilseed exports to grow 9%. Operators who ship by river should plan for wider freight swings and a softer basis.
BNSF says the proposed UP-NS merger would leave captive shippers with fewer options and farm inputs with higher freight costs. Union Pacific says it would open new routes and take trucks off the road.
Waiving penalties for on-road red diesel use provides minor savings for tight agricultural margins, though analysts fear the move could strain already tight fuel supplies.
Reopening of the global fertilizer supply pinch point gives optimism but many questions remain.
The central foundation for those against the merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern is if the new entity would in fact enhance competition.
The executive order outlines why and how USDA will ensure adequate supplies of elemental phosphates and glyphosate herbicides.
Weskan Grain and local producers take on Union Pacific and K&O Railroad in an antitrust battle over access to the rehabilitated Towner Line.