Flooding in several northern states is a reminder that weather events impact crop growth and the ability to transport that crop. Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, says the closure of roads and bridges will result in farmers and elevators having to incur expensive detours to access delivery locations.
“One of the biggest examples of the impact of flooding on rail infrastructure is the destruction of the BNSF Railway bridge across the Big Sioux River near Sioux City, Iowa,” Steenhoek says. “This will require considerable time to replace.”
Considerable soybeans and grain continue to move at this time of year. The flooding is occurring in regions with a number of soybean processing facilities, which operate year-round. The damage will clearly impact those facilities. Even if a farmer isn’t directly impacted by the damaged infrastructure, it will cost more to ship commodities to operating sections of the transportation network.