For the first 6 months of 2007, U.S. ethanol production totaled nearly 3 billion gallons—32 percent higher than the same period last year. As of August 29, there were 128 ethanol plants with annual production capacity totaling 6.78 billion gallons, and an additional 85 plants were under...

The rail industry is an integral part of the agricultural transportation system of the United States. For producers and shippers of bulk commodities, railroads are particularly important for the movement to end users, many of whom are located long distances from the farms. Information on rail...

The PDF is very large (29MB). To download one chapter at a time, go to http://dx.doi.org/10.9752/TS041.04-2010.

Several annual rail rate indices depict changes in the prices paid for rail service. Although accurate for general analyses, each of these indices falls short in capturing the three major components of total railroad grain rates: tariff rates, fuel surcharges, and secondary railcar market costs....