Intermodal Rail Service Coming To North Dakota -- October 10, 2020

Link here.

A longtime effort to bring intermodal rail service to North Dakota is finally coming to fruition.

BNSF Railway’s plan to provide an intermodal unit train at a facility in Minot is a “game changer,” said Gov. Doug Burgum. It will reduce shipping costs for farm products by as much as 25%, he said.

Intermodal service allows producers and processors to directly load containers on rail in Minot to ship to international destinations. State officials have pursued intermodal rail service for more than two decades, Burgum said.

An intermodal train that will arrive in Minot next week will be “arguably the first true intermodal operation in the state of North Dakota,” said James Leiman, director of economic development and finance at the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “This is the real deal now.”

Just in time. Over at twitter today:

North Dakota among top ten US states in soybean production. Link here. The US had been the #1 producer of soybeans in the world, but apparently overtaken by Brazil in 2019 / 2020 season.

From a reader who follows this closely:

The soy beans this year in America are of fantastic quality, some of the best in years. The 2019 crop of both bean and corn were substandard from USA norms; that is why the Chinese backed away. The CCP can buy from anywhere, so why NOT buy the best?

By Christmas the Chinese will  announce purchases of corn, because the corn crop is also fantastic this year. 

All of  the 2020 soy beans in south Minnesota are combined.  75 % of the corn is combined..  corn 14.5-17 % moisture.The standard moisture for corn is 15.5 percent, so when grain is delivered at greater than 15.5 percent grain moisture, the weight is adjusted down. (This reflects the remaining weight when the grain is dried to 15.5 percent moisture, losing water weight in the process.)

No artificial drying. Locally, 56.5-58-lb test weight. Lots of sugar/oil in the corn.