***Closings***    Holton Senior Center - Closed Wednesday *** Jackson County Courthouse Closed Wednesday *** NEK-CAP Offices & Centers - All Closed on Wednesday *** Nemaha County Meals on Wheels and Public Transportation Closed Wednesday *** Cardiac Rehab at Amberwell Hiawatha Cancelled for Wednesday *** Harvesters Distribution at Nemaha Comm. Center cancelled Wednesday also at Sabetha *** Auburn Head Start Closed Wednesday *** Falls City Head Start Closed Wednesday *** Falls City Public Schools Closed Wednesday *** Falls City Sacred Heart Closed Wednesday *** Highland Community College - All Campuses and Classes Cancelled Wednesday *** Humboldt Table Rock Steinaur Closed Wednesday *** Johnson County Central Schools Closed Wednesday *** Kickapoo Nation School - Closed Wednesday *** Maur Hill - Mount Academy closed Wednesday *** Pawnee City Schools Closed Wednesday *** Saint Benedict Catholic School closed Wednesday *** Sterling Schools Closed Wednesday *** Table Rock Head Start Closed Wednesday *** USD 111 Doniphan West closed Wednesday. No parent/teacher conferences *** USD 113 Prairie Hills - Closed Wednesday *** USD 114 Riverside - Closed Wednesday *** USD 115 Nemaha Central--closed Wednesday *** USD 322 Onaga, Havensville, Wheaton - Closed Wednesday *** USD 335 Jackson Heights - Closed Wednesday *** USD 336 Holton - Closed Wednesday *** USD 337 Royal Valley - Closed Wednesday *** USD 338 Valley Falls - Closed Wednesday *** USD 340 Jeff West - Closed Wednesday *** USD 341 Oskaloosa - Closed Wednesday *** USD 342 McLouth - Closed Wednesday *** USD 343 Perry Lecompton - Closed Wednesday *** USD 372 Silver Lake - Closed Wednesday *** USD 377 ACCHS - Closed Wednesday *** USD 409 Atchison-closed Wednesday *** USD 415 Hiawatha--closed Wednesday *** USD 429 Troy - Closed Wednesday *** USD 430 South Brown County--closed Wednesday ***
USDA Boss Blasts Railroads for Rail Car Shortage
10/03/2014

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack

 (KTNC)--The nation's top agriculture official is raising alarms about the looming shortage of rail cars to carry grain from Midwestern fields to market. U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says railroad officials should have anticipated the coming bumper harvest and been ready with sufficient cars for delivery. 

Two of the biggest railroads, BNSF and Union Pacific, claim they're investing in more staff and equipment, but Vilsack says the moves aren't coming quickly enough as farmers are already beginning to harvest crops. Vilsack says railroads should be penalized for poor service and they shouldn’t be allowed to increase their freight rates when there’s a backlog and bumper crops. He says one solution includes the use of arbitration.

Domestic crude oil production is increasing and taking up a lot of space on trains. Supporters of the stalled Keystone X-L oil pipeline say if the project were greenlighted, it could carry huge quantities of crude and free up more trains to haul grain.

Legislation is being introduced in the U-S Senate to address the problem, while lawmakers from South Dakota and Minnesota are calling on the U-S-D-A to conduct an economic analysis of rail service challenges facing agricultural shippers.


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