Employees of export and rail companies in Washington state, Montana and Oregon reported setbacks in operations due to the inclement weather. They said delays were not unusual during the winter.
Kalama Export Company in Washington lost about a day's worth of work and was unable to load one vessel with corn last week due to relentless rain, said David Grillot, a terminal manager.
United Grain Corp. in Vancouver, Washington, also was unable to load vessels in the rain and had up to two vessels waiting to be loaded, trade sources said. A company representative declined to comment.
"It's maybe a one- or two-day backup in terms of supplies getting delayed," a grain trader in Portland said. "It's difficult to replace grain today so the premiums are going up."
BNSF Railway CO. had crews working around the clock removing ice and snow from rail switches in the Pacific Northwest, spokesman Gus Melonas said. Up to two feet of snow were reported on tracks between Seattle and Spokane during the past two days, he said.
"The grain terminals are all open. There have just been some delays coming in and out," he said. (Reuters)
