Ongoing, in-depth research and analysis helps provide an efficient and reliable transportation system that benefits agricultural and other shippers. The Transportation Economics Division of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service periodically sponsors cooperative research on transportation matters of importance to USDA stakeholders. Links to summaries of recent cooperative research are listed chronologically below. Each summary discusses the research findings and provides a link to the full report.
Cooperative Research Summaries
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04-2024: The Importance of Columbia-Snake River Navigation to U.S. Agriculture (pdf)
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03-2024: Regional Economic Impacts of Infrastructure Failures in the Mississippi River System (pdf)
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01-2024: Inferring Impacts of Weather Extremes on the U.S. Crop Transportation Network (pdf)
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07-2023: Central Plains Grain Farm Truck Fleet and Marketing Patterns (pdf)
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06-2023: The Prospects for Developing Inland Logistics Ports in California (pdf)
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05-2023: Determinants of Refrigerated Container Provisioning for Agricultural Exports (pdf)
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05-2023: The Impact of New Information Technologies on US Containerized Agricultural Exports (pdf)
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03-2023: Integrating Terminal Gate Appointment Systems at the Port of Los Angeles (pdf)
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03-2023: Implications of Rising Ocean Freight Rates for Agri-food Product Markets (pdf)
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02-2023: A Derived Demand Analysis of Agricultural Shipments in the U.S. (pdf)
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11-2022: Weather Extremes Infrastructure Impacts on Corn and Soybean Basis Levels (pdf)
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08-2022: Optimal Timber Truck (pdf)
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08-2021: Intermodal Chassis Availability for Containerized Agricultural Exports (pdf)
- 06-2021: Geographic Analysis of Barriers to Efficient Rail Grain Freight Movements (pdf)
- 05-2021: A Look at Railroad Costs (pdf)
- 03-2021: Estimating the Demand for Railroad and Barge Movement of Corn in the Upper Mississippi River Valley (pdf)
- 02-2021: Brazil Modal Share Analysis for Corn and Soybeans 2010-19 (pdf)
- 02-2021: A Comparative Analysis of the Grain Handling and Rail Transportation Systems in Canada and the U.S.(pdf)
- 09-2020: Pacific Northwest Inland Container Terminal Feasibility Assessment (pdf)
- 08-2020: Dynamic Changes in Rail Shipping Mechanisms for Grain (pdf)
- 08-2020: Repositioning Empty Containers for Ag Container Logistics (pdf)
- 06-2020: Railroads Common Carrier Obligation (pdf)
- 03-2020: Rail Rates for Grain Shipments Over Time (pdf)
- 02-2020: UPDATE ON United States-South America Grain Freight Spreads (pdf)
- 12-2019: River Transportation and the Broiler Industry in North Alabama (pdf)
- 12-2019: Barge Traffic Disruptions and Their Effects on Shipping Costs in Agricultural Freight Corridors (pdf)
- 12-2019: Measuring Rail Market Power in Wheat Transportation (pdf)
- 08-2019: Pacific Northwest Container Availability Study: West Coast Container Traffic Analysis (pdf)
- 07-2019: Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck and Rail (pdf)
- 02-2018: Profile of Short Line Railroads (pdf)
- 01-2018: UPDATE ON United States-South America Grain Freight Spreads (pdf)
- 11-2017: Analysis of Grain Basis Behavior during Transportation Disruptions (pdf)
- 10-2017: Transportation Cost Modeling of International Containerized Soybean Exports in the US (pdf)
- 12-2016: Economic Impacts Analysis of Inland Waterways Disruption on the Transport of Corn and Soybeans (pdf)
- 12-2016: Estimated Impacts of Mexican Transportation Infrastructure Improvements on the U.S. Meat Complex (pdf)
- 03-2016: Impacts of Intramodal Competition on 2012 Railroad Rates for Wheat (pdf)
- 10-2015: Constrained Market Pricing and Revenue Adequacy: Regulatory Implications for Shippers and Class I U.S. Freight Railroads (pdf)
- 05-2015: United States–South America Ocean Grain Freight Spreads (pdf)
- 02-2015: Marketing U.S. Grain and Oilseeds by Container (pdf)
- 04-2014: Tracking U.S. Grain, Oilseed and Related Product Exports in Mexico (pdf)
- 01-2013: The Potential Impact of Brazil’s Transportation Efficiencies on World Cotton Trade (pdf)
- 05-2005: The Role of Air Cargo in California’s Agricultural Export Trade (pdf)