Railway delays have cost Minnesota farmers an estimated $109 million to-date

ST. PAUL, MN - Earlier today, Governor Mark Dayton /governor/assets/08_27_2014_Elliott_Daniel_Chairman_Surface_Transportation_Board.pdf_tcm1055-93584.pdfsent this letter to the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), urging the board to use its authority to ask Class I railroads what they are doing eliminate the severe backlog of grain shipments for Minnesota farmers. Governor Dayton called on the STB to bring all parties to the table to find an urgently-needed resolution.

"The additional costs imposed by this rail crisis exacerbate already low grain prices and drive prices below many farmers' costs of production," Governor Dayton wrote in his letter to the Board. "Please consider them and their families, as you exercise the considerable authority vested in you."

A study released in July by the Department of Agriculture found that Minnesota farmers have lost an estimated $109 million due to shipping delays and higher transportation costs.

A full copy of the Governor's letter to the Surface Transportation Board /governor/assets/08_27_2014_Elliott_Daniel_Chairman_Surface_Transportation_Board.pdf_tcm1055-93584.pdfcan be found here.