The expected record crop harvest this year is leading to worries about the ability of transportation providers to get that crop where it needs to go.
So, this week, the national Surface Transportation Board announced plans to release weekly reports in an effort to increase transparency about possible shortage of rail cars and delays.
The decision came amid requests from rail shippers and agricultural organizations. Lance Peterson is one of the directors of the American Soybean Association who made the request for increased reports. He says he is pleased but pragmatic about the news.
"Will this information speed up the movement of products? No, it won't, but if we have further problems that arise, then this information will then be available, I guess, to talk about potential solutions," Peterson said.
The harsh winter caused backups on rail lines, preventing some of last year's grain yield from making it to market. Some of that grain is still being stored in rail cars, meaning there are fewer available cars for this year's crop. That, combined with a record harvest for 2014 expected, has led some to believe there could be difficulty in transporting crops, which could hurt farmers' bottom lines.