Thank you to the group of state agriculture commissioners who sent a powerful letter to the Surface Transportation Board on the proposed Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger. They are putting farmers, rural communities and the heartland first, and Missouri needs more voices like theirs.
Missouri depends on freight rail. Trains carry crops from farms to elevators, processing plants and export terminals while also delivering the supplies farmers need to plant and harvest. Reliable service allows Missouri farmers to compete in domestic and global markets. Freight rail is not just an option for many producers; it is essential to keeping the state’s agricultural economy moving.
A merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would put nearly half of U.S. freight rail traffic under a single company, giving it enormous control over critical markets. Missouri farmers and other shippers already have limited options, and fewer alternatives could lead to higher costs, less reliable service and weaker bargaining power. Missouri sits at the center of the national freight network, so any disruption here would affect local elevators, ports, manufacturers and ripple across the country to consumers and businesses far beyond our state.
I’m encouraged that the STB rejected the initial merger application as incomplete. Now that Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have indicated they will resubmit, the STB must hold them to that same high bar. Any resubmitted application has to prove that the merger will protect competition and serve Missouri farmers.
