U.S. Rail System Issues Continue, Farmers Voice Concerns in Advance of Harvest

Issues with the U.S. rail system continue to loom, possibly foreshadowing potential concerns for harvest across the country. Apart from the ongoing supply chain issues, rumblings of a potential work stoppage caused President Biden to sign an executive order this past week to create a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to keep the collective bargaining between rail carriers and unions on track.

Representatives from the National Feed and Grain Association (NFGA) believe the issues are less about equipment, and more about the delays in delivery and reliability of receiving their feed. Mike Seyfert, president and CEO of NFGA recalled that “At times in the past several months, we have heard from more than one member that has had severe difficulty getting feed, sometimes being within several hours of being short.”

Read more on concerns with the U.S. rail system leading into harvest.