Cash Market Moves

After the extreme low water conditions in the Mississippi River and tributaries during Fall 2022, most of the system has received beneficial moisture this winter, but some areas will need more.

There have been new developments in the proposed merger of CP and KCS merger, while West Coast dock workers still have no contract.

The last laker left Jan. 21, from Superior, Wisconsin, with the last load of taconite pellets to be shipped out of the Twin Ports until spring.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) recently established a voluntary arbitration program and an entirely new procedure for rate challenges that has some railroads questioning the rule.

The last grain ship headed out of the Twin Ports right before Christmas and officially ended the 2023 grain shipping season.

The Surface Transportation Board held a two-day hearing in response to shipper complaints about the Union Pacific slowing service by using embargoes.

The Surface Transportation Board will hold an in-person public hearing with Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) pertaining to the substantial increase of embargoes declared to reduce congestion.

USGC noted in their annual corn harvest report that there is an abundant amount of good quality corn entering the market from the 2022 U.S. crop.

The navigation season is over for the far Upper Mississippi River, while the Lower Mississippi is still in dire need of water.

Twelve rail unions have completed voting on the tentative national rail agreement with four unions voting no.

Flooded fields in mid-May caused farmers concern that the wheat crops may not get planted on time.

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division membership said Wednesday they will extend their status quo period to match the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, thus delaying any possible rail strike to December.

With two rail worker unions having voted no to the tentative contract agreement, a rail strike could happen unless the unions and railroads agree on sticking points.

Everything that moves in a barge relies on the Mississippi River to keep commerce moving. Given the longstanding drought, that has become a tall order to fill.

A second rail union has voted down the tentative contract agreement presented in mid-September for approval by the 12 rail unions.

The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers are reaching record-breaking low levels, causing more headaches for everyone trying to get commodities moving up and down the river.

Besides the sandbars grounding barges and creating havoc for river terminals and farmers, saltwater is leaking into the Mississippi River at New Orleans.

Export Exchange is a biennial educational and trade forum for U.S. feed grains that will host a mix of nearly 500 international buyers, importers and domestic suppliers.

Hearings were held recently by the Surface Transportation Board to hear from interested parties to express the pros and cons of a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City.

The Mississippi River is in dire need of rain throughout the system as terminals struggle to load out harvest bushels.