Union Pacific is halting the delivery of fertilizer shipments for the spring season

Engineered collapse of the US food chain

I know the source is not appreciated here but the story pans out and this is happening and it is a clear indication that we are royally screwed. I don't know if I can commit the resources now to cover my own shortfall never mind the entire nation or world for that matter. Things can get out of hand quickly if the world has madmen and incompetent fools running the show for us.

Biden must've been joking around, or had a bout of dementia, when he told the U.S. public to prepare for food shortages?

And there are still people on this site that claim they'd vote for him again.

Maybe when they're standing in the bread lines they'll have a change of heart.

a reply to: machineintelligence


naturalnews is beforeitsnews in disguise.

You 'source' says nothing of what you claim, it is reporting that Union Pacific is removing some private rail cars from it's network, and while your 'source' claims that this is new and unexpected, Union Pacific has been slowly doing this for almost decade.

There is no halt in shipping fertilizer, there is a switch to using rail cars owned by Union Pacific instead of private fleets like the one the manufacturer being discussed in the 'source' had previously contracted with, because Union Pacific thinks this makes their railroad much more safe and efficient.

Here's another source and yes this probably needs to be discussed Im trying to find Union Pacific's reasoning behind the move, sometimes stuff like this is just increased costs on their end. Insurance perhaps

www.businesswire.com...

FWIW UP's reasoning behind this.... from another dubious source

www.bloomberg.com...

The railroad said in a letter to customers that it would begin metering traffic after April 18 if customers don’t voluntarily reduce their inventory before then. Union Pacific also said it’s removing 2% to 3% of its own railcars and has added 50 locomotives since January with plans to bring on 100 more to help move cars along.

The industry has struggled with soaring freight since the pandemic drove higher demand for goods, choking the nation’s supply chain. The situation prompted the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to call public hearings later this month to hear from all the major railroads on steps to improve network fluidity, citing a broad worker shortage and railroads’ “bare bones” cost cutting.

Union Pacific said in its letter that it has transferred 80 crew members to help in congested areas and has 450 employees in training that will be ready for locomotives in summer.

The moves come after Union Pacific took steps last July to ease a backup in Chicago, where trailers weren’t being unloaded fast enough amid a crush of traffic. The company halted all containers at the time from Los Angeles to Chicago for about a week

originally posted by: putnam6
Here's another source and yes this probably needs to be discussed Im trying to find Union Pacific's reasoning behind the move, sometimes stuff like this is just increased costs on their end. Insurance perhaps

www.businesswire.com...

Liability was a big part of the railroad's long running claims, they claim that many private fleets do not maintain their equipment to the railroad's standards.

No idea if true or not, but the railroad does charge quite a bit more than the private fleets and generally has newer equipment.

I'm guessing there's some truth to it, and also some profit seeking by Union Pacific.



There is no ban on shipping fertilizer as the OP claims though.

Here's another source that has a slightly different angle on this story.

A major fertilizer company says the limits Union Pacific is putting on rail traffic to clear up congestion will delay shipments that farmers need during the spring planting season.

So again, seems like anyway you slice it, there are legitimate concerns, communicated from multiple sources, about the ability of growing supplies reaching farmers.

I ask again: did people think Biden went in front of America to warn of food shortages because he thought it would help his abysmal polling?

What about when John Kerry warned about "millions of food supply refugees" swamping developed countries? Just gloom and doom empty threats?

ETA:

It's allll under control. Don't you worry your pretty little heads.

“The timing of this action by Union Pacific could not come at a worse time for farmers,” said CF Industries CEO Tony Will. “Not only will fertilizer be delayed by these shipping restrictions, but additional fertilizer needed to complete spring applications may be unable to reach farmers at all.

a reply to: machineintelligence
Would it ever occur to you to go to the original source for information?

Here's what Union Pacific has to say about it:

"Union Pacific Corp. plans to limit customer-owned railcars on its network beginning next week to ease traffic jams that have gummed up the supply chain.

The railroad said in a letter to customers that it would begin metering traffic after April 18 if customers don’t voluntarily reduce their inventory before then. Union Pacific also said it is removing 2% to 3% of its own railcars and has added 50 locomotives since January with plans to bring on 100 more to help move cars along.

“The operating inventory levels continue to rise on a daily basis,” Kenny Rocker, Union Pacific’s sales and marketing chief, said in the letter published on its website April 11. “We have already identified and notified those customers who can help us manage the current congestion by reducing their railcar inventories.”

...

www.ttnews.com...

It's the same story as in the major ports (like Los Angeles), the warehouses, and the trucking industry. Not enough workers to move the cargo containers, not enough places to store the containers, not enough truckers to deliver them, etc.

I realize this is not as much fun as an "engineered collapse" due to some nefarious conspiracy.

originally posted by: 1947boomer

The industry has struggled with soaring freight since the pandemic drove higher demand for goods, choking the nation’s supply chain. The situation prompted the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to call public hearings later this month to hear from all the major railroads on steps to improve network fluidity, citing a broad worker shortage and railroads’ “bare bones” cost-cutting.

From our friends at the WEF:

* COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, and consumer spending is no exception.
* Generally, spending is down across all industries, as lockdown measures have restricted what we can spend money on, due to restaurants and shops being shut and air travel suspended.
* Equally, the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic have meant consumers are less inclined to spend more, with many expecting their household income to continue to fall in the coming months.
* Time spent indoors however, has caused us to spend more on home entertainment and groceries.

Even if this is not an "engineered" collapse, the combination punches of

- lock downs
- business closures associated with "safety regulations"
- furloughs and layoffs
- massive government "relief and stimulus programs"

have had the simultaneous effect of massively reducing the workforce and goods production capacity, while injecting a tsunami of money into the economy and artificially propping up consumer spending.

None of this was a surprise, in that observers predicted the outcome of these policies leading to skyrocketing inflation and goods/services shortages.

Either it was done deliberately, or the government employs the worst economic advisors on planet Earth.

originally posted by: SleeperHasAwakened
Biden must've been joking around, or had a bout of dementia, when he told the U.S. public to prepare for food shortages?

And there are still people on this site that claim they'd vote for him again.

Maybe when they're standing in the bread lines they'll have a change of heart.

I doubt it. They will starve to death with that "orange man bad" t-shirt on and be happy about it.

a reply to: 1947boomer

I think the thing you are missing is that the same things that people have been complaining about in regards to current policies are the same things that led to the shortages of workers and other supply chain issues that you mentioned. It is disingenuous to cite the symptoms of the problem but ignore the cause.

a reply to: machineintelligence

If the co-op’s don’t have fertilizer for spring planting at their facilities by now then it’s too late for them anyway.
Farmers are just about to hit the field hard with their planters .
They also can fertilize after harvest in the fall.

a reply to: machineintelligence

I've gained 30 pounds since the pandemic started. I see a silver lining here for me. I've already adjusted my grocery shopping due to the price increases. Not because I find the prices unaffordable, but because I believe many manufacturers and retailers have artificially raised prices, and I do not want to pay the extra price for their corporate greed. My closest grocery store was selling 18 eggs for $6.99 the other day, while the grocery store 35 minutes away was charging $2.98. The prices at the nearby grocery store were always a little higher than the ones a little further away. Eggs, for example, used to be a dollar more than they were at the other store. That's the price of living off the beaten path. In the past, I had always shopped at the nearby grocery store "to support my local community." Well, the kind of gouging they are doing now has made me decide that I don't care if they go out of business. 

originally posted by: PatriotGames4u
a reply to: machineintelligence


naturalnews is beforeitsnews in disguise.

You 'source' says nothing of what you claim, it is reporting that Union Pacific is removing some private rail cars from it's network, and while your 'source' claims that this is new and unexpected, Union Pacific has been slowly doing this for almost decade.

There is no halt in shipping fertilizer, there is a switch to using rail cars owned by Union Pacific instead of private fleets like the one the manufacturer being discussed in the 'source' had previously contracted with, because Union Pacific thinks this makes their railroad much more safe and efficient.

There is quite a bit of info from regular and business news. They are refusing to carry grains and fertilizer.

Fertilizer company complains about railroad shipment limits

www.wral.com...

kdvr.com...

kvia.com...

www.bnnbloomberg.ca...

www.cfindustries.com...

www.ttnews.com...

originally posted by: infolurker

originally posted by: PatriotGames4u
a reply to: machineintelligence


naturalnews is beforeitsnews in disguise.

You 'source' says nothing of what you claim, it is reporting that Union Pacific is removing some private rail cars from it's network, and while your 'source' claims that this is new and unexpected, Union Pacific has been slowly doing this for almost decade.

There is no halt in shipping fertilizer, there is a switch to using rail cars owned by Union Pacific instead of private fleets like the one the manufacturer being discussed in the 'source' had previously contracted with, because Union Pacific thinks this makes their railroad much more safe and efficient.

www.cfindustries.com...

That is the manufacturer complaining that it can no longer use its lower cost private fleet.

That has been gradually happening for a decade, and rail got a lot more efficient as a result.

There is no ban on shipping fertilizer, only a reduction in the number of private rail cars allowed on Union Pacific's network.

a reply to: PatriotGames4u

You would think that if the Biden Administration gave a crap, they would work to rectify this issue immediately.

www.michiganfarmnews.com...

“When grain shippers are unable to receive orders from railroads it disrupts agriculture markets throughout the broader supply chain.”

In some cases, flour and feed mills waiting on deliveries of grain are forced to temporarily cease operations, cutting off sales to customers until deliveries return.

“This means livestock operations that are reliant on the feed shipped from these mills may be forced to ration or stop feeding until deliveries return, or find alternative feed options, stunting the production cycle and putting the health and wellbeing of livestock at risk,” Munch added.

Farmers paying for storage in grain elevators that cannot move product may face added holding fees, contributing to even higher marketing expenses. In addition, Munch speculates that rail service disruptions will impact local basis for cash commodities that influence the price farmers receive for their crops.

Beyond creative solutions to immediately get rid of railway congestion issues, Munch predicts some producers may be forced to consider long-term investments in on-farm grain storage as a hedge against transportation disruptions.

Shipping rates out of control?

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: PatriotGames4u

You would think that if the Biden Administration gave a crap, they would work to rectify this issue immediately.

www.michiganfarmnews.com...

“When grain shippers are unable to receive orders from railroads it disrupts agriculture markets throughout the broader supply chain.”

In some cases, flour and feed mills waiting on deliveries of grain are forced to temporarily cease operations, cutting off sales to customers until deliveries return.

“This means livestock operations that are reliant on the feed shipped from these mills may be forced to ration or stop feeding until deliveries return, or find alternative feed options, stunting the production cycle and putting the health and wellbeing of livestock at risk,” Munch added.

Farmers paying for storage in grain elevators that cannot move product may face added holding fees, contributing to even higher marketing expenses. In addition, Munch speculates that rail service disruptions will impact local basis for cash commodities that influence the price farmers receive for their crops.

Beyond creative solutions to immediately get rid of railway congestion issues, Munch predicts some producers may be forced to consider long-term investments in on-farm grain storage as a hedge against transportation disruptions.

Shipping rates out of control?

Like he resolved the port issue?

Ag companies want to continue contracting with private fleets at lower costs instead of hiring Union Pacific directly, Union Pacific says that handling the private fleets is less safe and less efficient.

The companies will work it out themselves.

originally posted by: SleeperHasAwakened
Biden must've been joking around, or had a bout of dementia, when he told the U.S. public to prepare for food shortages?

And there are still people on this site that claim they'd vote for him again.

Maybe when they're standing in the bread lines they'll have a change of heart.

The Biden admin had no idea how important fertilizers have a role on our societies, Russia can produce more for many countries.

These Sanctions are hurting us.