A bipartisan group of 51 lawmakers, led by Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.), sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) on June 29 urging the agency to address “poor rail service” that has negatively impacted the shipment of fertilizer and other agricultural products.
The letter follows a series of emergency public hearings held by the STB in April to address rail service delays (GM April 29, p. 1). The April hearings came less than two weeks after CF Industries Holdings Inc. informed customers it serves by Union Pacific (UP) rail lines that railroad-mandated shipping reductions would result in nitrogen fertilizer shipment delays during the spring application season (GM April 15, p. 1).
“At a time when global fertilizer supplies and global crop production are highly disrupted, imposing shipping curtailments on fertilizer inputs and grain, as recently proposed by Union Pacific, will cause major supply chain disruptions, hurt American farmers, and exacerbate the food crisis considerably,” the letter states. “We must ensure critical commodities reach essential industries and workers, such as America’s farmers, who are essential to feeding our nation and the world. Food is a national security issue, and we must treat it as such.”
While recommending no specific action, the letter warned that “onerous restrictions” placed by Class 1 railroads on shippers of agricultural commodities “may run the risk of jeopardizing family run farms and increasing the cost of food” for consumers.
“If Union Pacific continues down this path and other carriers follow suit, it will reduce crop production at a time when our nation and the world can least afford it,” the letter states. “As we work toward solutions to meet the ongoing supply chain challenges, carriers and the STB should also be mindful of essential commodities and our country’s best public interest.”
The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), which testified at the April hearings, issued a statement on June 30 praising the letter.
“With over half of all fertilizer moving by rail, we are grateful for the leadership of Congressmen Norman and Costa in bringing the issue of inconsistent rail service to the attention of the STB,” said TFI President and CEO Corey Rosenbusch. “Their dedication to working with all stakeholders will help ensure that essential crop nutrient inputs reach farmers when and where they need them.
“Fertilizer is attributable to half of all crop yields,” Rosenbusch continued. “With the world leaning on U.S. farmers now more than ever before to feed our growing population, we must ensure strong yields and our food security. Fertilizer must reach farmers in a timely manner and crop harvests also need to get to their destinations, including the kitchen table.”