The railroad company ordered CF Industries and 29 other shippers cut their volume by 20 percent. Union Pacific says the reductions are needed to reduce congestion, but CF Industries said it would ask federal regulators to intervene and end the railroad restrictions.
Why Union Pacific would single out the nation’s largest fertilizer producer just as it is trying to get its product to farmers in time for spring planting is suspicious, to say the least.
Mike Adams is reporting that rail carriers are also partially halting transportation of livestock feed grain, potentially forcing farmers to slaughter their cows and chickens if they can’t get enough grain to feed them. This would further drive up prices of dairy products such as milk, eggs, yogurt, etc.
The railroad-mandated shipping reductions not only means shipping delays for farmers but CF Industries said it would be unable to accept new orders involving Union Pacific rail transportation for the foreseeable future.
CF Industries announced its dire predicament April 14 on its website. This disruption in the delivery of fertilizers comes at a time of steadily escalating food prices at grocery stores nationwide due to supply chain disruptions, War between Russia and Ukraine, China hording global grain supplies, weather-related crop failures and other issues, all adding up to a perfect storm for global famine.
Unless American farmers produce a bumper crop this fall, the rampant food price inflation will continue to intensify, driving prices up even faster and leading to more shortages on the store shelves heading into late 2022 and 2023.
CF Industries ships to customers via Union Pacific rail lines primarily from its Donaldsonville Complex in Louisiana and its Port Neal Complex in Iowa. The rail lines serve key agricultural states in America’s heartland, including Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas, as well as California.
Products that will be affected include nitrogen fertilizers such as urea and urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) as well as diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), an emissions control product required for diesel trucks.....<<<Read More>>>....