Farmers Face Worry With Risk of US Rail Strike If Deal Fails
- Farmers are relying on trains to deliver stalled shipments
- Low water levels on Mississippi River already have hit exports
A farmer in a field at farm in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Photographer: Cassidy Araiza/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
American farmers who already were losing access to export markets due to record-low Mississippi River water levels now face a renewed threat of a US rail strike that would further curb shipments of crops and fertilizer.
The Mississippi River and its tributaries typically handle a trillion pounds of shipments, some of which have shifted to rail as drought prevented barges from floating. However, some rail cargoes were at risk of being halted ahead of a potential strike of 125,000 union members in early December. The two biggest rail worker unions are expected to conclude voting by Nov. 20 on a deal brokered by the White House to stave off a strike.