Commentary
CN-IANR Merger Proposal: ‘Value Add’ for Ag
Written by Mike Schwark, Iowa Rancher and Owner of Schwark Seed
Mike Schwark (Photograph Courtesy of Mike Schwark)
To be competitive and profitable, agricultural producers across the country are focusing on their cost of production, managing margins, and being forward-thinking on their grain and livestock marketing. In Iowa, and most any state, a piece to the puzzle that literally links all of these is rail.
![“Thanks to Secretary Pete [Buttigieg], USDOT, the Federal Railroad Administration and all our partners for making the S-Line passenger rail a reality!!” NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins said in a July 1 LinkedIn post. “Thanks to the hard work of our NCDOT team we broke ground on the first construction project in the Raleigh to Wake Forest segment, a $19M project to grade separate Durant Road 7 months after the grant announcement!!” (Photograph Courtesy of Joey Hopkins)](https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/slinelead-315x168.png)