ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 12, 2017 -- The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) on Oct. 11 told the Surface Transportation Board (STB) about continuing shortcomings by CSX Transportation Inc. (CSXT) to provide reliable, consistent and predictable rail service to a significant number of NGFA-member companies that operate on the carrier’s lines. Further, NGFA recommended that the agency require the railroad to submit a detailed service recovery plan containing specific, meaningful service-improvement metrics and timetable for restoring service to acceptable levels. NGFA was one of 24 ... Read More
Transportation
NGFA, Ag Transportation Working Group, urge STB to hold CSXT accountable for service failures
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 17, 2017 - The Agricultural Transportation Working Group - a diverse network of national farm, commodity group and agribusiness organizations, including the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) - called upon the Surface Transportation Board (STB) today to aggressively continue its efforts to examine the underlying reasons for the precipitous, deteriorating rail service being provided by CSXT. "We are concerned that CSXT's already-chronic service problems may only worsen as demand for rail service increases during the fall peak season, which will include ... Read More
CSX CEO blames severe service disruptions on resistant company employees
By Randy Gordon, NGFA President CSX President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison put the onus on recalcitrant company employees who have “push(ed) back” against implementation of his scheduled railroad model for the rapid decline in rail service provided by the carrier. The NGFA and several of its member companies were among those voicing serious concerns to the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) about the degradation of service provided by CSX over the past month, which seemingly has gotten progressively worse. The NGFA warned that the service situation could ... Read More
NGFA: Invest now in nation’s transportation infrastructure or fall farther behind
WASHINGTON, July 19, 2017 -- The United States needs to make more strategic, significant and predictable investments in the U.S. transportation infrastructure or risk having U.S. agriculture lose its competitive export advantage to foreign countries, the National Grain and Feed Association told Congress today. "Over the last decade, I have witnessed an alarming decline in the historical competitive advantage that our transportation infrastructure has provided U.S. agriculture, and the corresponding increase in investment in critical infrastructure being made by our foreign competitors," ... Read More
NGFA supports effort to update truck weight limits
WASHINGTON, May 30, 2017 -- The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) recently joined in signing a letter to Congress supporting a pilot program designed to obtain information on the safety and environmental benefits of increasing the maximum commercial truck weight on interstate highways. In the letter sent to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee, more than 80 transportation stakeholders noted that it's been 35 years since the government last updated the gross vehicle weight (GVW) limit of 80,000 pounds for federal interstate highways. Meanwhile, all 50 states have ... Read More
NGFA leads industry delegation in discussions with FDA, rail and truck sectors on FSMA sanitary food transport rules
By Randy Gordon, President The NGFA on April 5 led an industry delegation in a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and representatives of the rail and truck sectors to discuss issues associated with implementation of the agency’s food sanitary transportation rules developed as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The meeting was a follow up to an Aug. 19 letter to FDA authored by the NGFA and co-signed by the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) and North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) expressing concerns over FDA’s final rule, which placed ... Read More
NGFA leads industry delegation in discussions with FDA, rail and truck sectors on FSMA sanitary food transport rules
By Randy Gordon, NGFA President The NGFA on April 5 led an industry delegation in a meeting with the Food and Drug Administration and representatives of the rail and truck sectors to discuss issues associated with implementation of the agency’s food sanitary transportation rules developed as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The meeting was a follow up to an Aug. 19 letter to FDA authored by the NGFA and co-signed by the National Oilseed Processors Association and North American Millers’ Association expressing concerns over FDA’s final rule, which placed principal ... Read More
NGFA outlines waterways infrastructure needs in letter to congressional appropriators
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2017 -- A total of 22 agricultural producer and agribusiness organizations that participate in the Agricultural Transportation Working Group today sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators asking for continued funding support in fiscal year 2018 to rebuild the nation's declining inland waterways infrastructure. "While the U.S. transportation infrastructure system long has provided U.S. agricultural producers and agribusinesses with a strong comparative advantage against foreign competitors, our waterways infrastructure system is falling behind," stated the letter, ... Read More
Rep. DeFazio introduces infrastructure bill that would raise gas tax
By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, recently introduced a bill that would increase funding for roads, bridges and transit systems by raising the gas tax by a penny per year. The “Investing in America: A Penny for Progress Act,” (H.R. 1664), would generate about $500 billion in federal funding to address the backlog of infrastructure projects and “fill the hole in the Highway Trust Fund,” according to a statement from the Democrats of the House Committee on ... Read More
NGFA touts inland waterway and port projects in infrastructure meeting at White House
By Randy Gordon, President The NGFA joined a small group of leaders from other farm- agribusiness- and rural-focused organizations at a March 9 meeting at the White House with key staff from President Trump’s National Economic Council. The meeting followed a letter signed by the NGFA and more than 200 other organizations that was spearheaded by the Farm Credit Council to President Trump encouraging him to focus on rural infrastructure. “We are grateful that the White House is exploring the unique infrastructure needs of U.S. agriculture and rural communities,” the groups said in a ... Read More
National Grain and Feed Association
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