# Labor issues, idle trains leave U.S. grain and food stranded -shippers

> Iowa grain buyer Landus reported turning away farmer loads of corn and soybeans as country elevators waited up to 20 days for rail carriers to collect loaded grain cars. A shipper cited five delayed trains in March that left a 2.25 million bushel shortfall in grain shipments.

- Date: 2022-04-28 · published 2022-04-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: logistics · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/41856-labor-issues-idle-trains-leave-u-s-grain-and-food-stranded-shippers
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md), [Barge Freight (St. Louis)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BARGE.md)

## Why it matters

Rail bottlenecks trap grain at origin and delay deliveries to feed mills, tightening nearby cash supply while widening local basis discounts.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: bullish ▲
- CORN: bullish ▲
- BARGE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2020-09-15 | [Grain shippers brace for tight rail market - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51304-grain-shippers-brace-for-tight-rail-market-freightwaves.md) | +3.3% | +6.5% |
| CORN | 2019-04-03 | [BNSF rail delays leave farmers waiting to ship grain  - Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59598-bnsf-rail-delays-leave-farmers-waiting-to-ship-grain-brotherhood-of-locomotive.md) | -1.1% | -1.6% |
| CORN | 2023-04-06 | [Grain Inspectors Strike in Argentina, More Labor Unrest Expected](https://feedsoft.ai/events/13972-grain-inspectors-strike-in-argentina-more-labor-unrest-expected.md) | -0.4% | -2.0% |
| CORN | 2021-04-22 | [Neopanamax Locks Have Expanded Shipping Routes \| Feed & Grain](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47487-neopanamax-locks-have-expanded-shipping-routes-feed-and-grain.md) | +11.6% | +9.8% |
| CORN | 2021-06-03 | [Argentine oilseed and grain shipments under threat from new strike…](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46406-argentine-oilseed-and-grain-shipments-under-threat-from-new-strike.md) | +4.4% | +4.7% |
| SOY | 2020-09-15 | [Grain shippers brace for tight rail market - FreightWaves](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51304-grain-shippers-brace-for-tight-rail-market-freightwaves.md) | +0.3% | +1.4% |
| SOY | 2019-04-03 | [BNSF rail delays leave farmers waiting to ship grain  - Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen](https://feedsoft.ai/events/59598-bnsf-rail-delays-leave-farmers-waiting-to-ship-grain-brotherhood-of-locomotive.md) | -0.1% | -6.7% |
| SOY | 2026-02-19 | [The Argentine maritime workers’ strike for reform of labor halts grain shipments](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20631-the-argentine-maritime-workers-strike-for-reform-of-labor-halts-grain-shipments.md) | +1.3% | +2.5% |

## Sources

- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/labor-issues-idle-trains-leave-us-grain-food-stranded-shippers-2022-04-28/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.