Michigan grain surge

Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Magazine, Mar 2000

from CSXT Midweek Report, December 1, 1999

By delivering 17 empty unit trains into Michigan in just 10 days, CSXT has helped avert a crisis for the state's grain farmers.

The situation developed when several factors combined to create a shortage of empty grain hoppers to ship the Michigan harvest to market. Farmers in the state produced a bumper grain crop this year, and exceptional weather conditions allowed the harvest to get under way early and continue virtually uninterrupted.

That would have put a strain on car supply under normal circumstances, said Tom Owen, CSXT's assistant vice president-agricultural products, but the situation was exacerbated by existing inventories at Michigan grain elevators and railroad congestion at Toledo, Ohio. Fearing that farmers would lose part of their crop if it had to be left on the ground awaiting transportation, U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham formed a task force to address the situation.

Responding to the extraordinary circumstances, CSXT took extraordinary measures. Clarence Gooden, vice president-system transportation, traveled to Toledo/Walbridge to work with local managers and labor representatives on a plan to relieve congestion in that key gateway to Michigan. At the same time, Ken Kennedy, director-marketing, worked with four Michigan short lines to piece together an alternate route into the state's grain-producing regions. In Jacksonville, the grain desk assisted by coordinating the trains moving to and from the area. "It was an outstanding effort by many people to alleviate a situation that was causing great concern among our Michigan grain shippers and their elected officials," Owen said.