Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has led a bipartisan group of state agriculture officials in sending a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), calling for a careful and thorough review of the proposed merger between Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern. The letter emphasizes the importance of maintaining competition within the agricultural sector.
The correspondence was also signed by agriculture secretaries, directors, and commissioners from Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. These states represent diverse agricultural and rural communities that depend on competitive markets and reliable infrastructure.
The officials argue that competition is essential for a strong agricultural economy at all levels—from access to inputs and transportation to processing, marketing, and international trade. They express concern that ongoing consolidation could reduce choices for producers and agribusinesses.
“As representatives serving, promoting and protecting agriculture, we ask you to carefully evaluate the impact of additional consolidation in the nation’s freight railroad system. The proposed merger between the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) raises important questions for America’s agricultural industry, which is uniquely reliant on a reliable, competitive, and resilient rail network.”
The letter identifies three main areas for consideration by the STB: preserving competition and choice so farmers can manage risk; ensuring reliable supply chains given agriculture’s seasonal needs; and recognizing how large-scale consolidation may affect interconnected infrastructure and communities across the broader economy.
“We strongly encourage the STB to ensure that any merger approval clearly demonstrates tangible, enforceable benefits to competition and service for agriculture shippers and to support a competitive rail network that serves our industry well now and into the future.”
A full copy of the letter is available online.
