Weekly U.S. Rail Loadings Up

WASHINGTON - Feb 2/06 - SNS -- The number of carloads of grains and oilseeds delivered to U.S. ports for the week ending January 25 rose, according to the USDA's Transportation and Marketing Programs/Transportation Services Branch weekly Grain Transportation Report.

Total carloads delivered to major port areas during the week totalled 10,226, up from 9,230 the previous week. This lifted calendar year to date deliveries to 37,141 cars, up 3% from the 36,220 cars unloaded during the same period last year.

In releasing its latest transportation update, the USDA noted, "During fourth quarter 2005, the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) inspected 29.55 million metric tons (MT) of wheat, corn, and soybeans for export from all U.S. ports. This is 8% below fourth quarter 2004 and 1% below the 5-year average."

The USDA noted that hurricanes Katrina and Rita disrupted grain transportation in the U.S. Gulf region. Consequently, fourth quarter U.S. Gulf grain inspections totaled 17.64 million MT, 26% below 2004 inspections. This is the lowest fourth quarter inspection estimate on record. U.S. Gulf grain inspections, however, have begun to recover since the hurricanes.

Subscribers can read the full text of the article by Clicking here