Agriculture, Feed & Fertilizer

Move grain, feed ingredients, and fertilizer by rail.

Build a rail program around seasonality, product integrity, equipment, unloading, storage, and regional delivery—through direct service, transload, or a new rail-served location.

Request an Ag Freight Review Find a Property or Transload
Grain & oilseeds Feed ingredients Dry fertilizer Bulk liquids Direct rail Rail-to-truck transload
Dry bulk commodities Grain & Oilseeds Plan product quality, covered-hopper fit, unloading, storage, seasonality, and cycle. Mill and livestock inputs Feed Ingredients Match density, feed-grade handling, segregation, storage, and production demand. Seasonal crop inputs Fertilizer Confirm product classification, railcar, containment, transfer, permits, and peak capacity. Equipment & volume Railcar Guide & Estimator Compare common equipment and estimate railcars from current truck volume.
Agricultural Logistics Is Not One Movement

The product, season, facility, and receiving operation shape the rail plan.

A rail program for grain does not operate exactly like one for feed ingredients or liquid crop inputs. Density, cubic capacity, product integrity, prior cargo, unloading rate, storage, truck distribution, seasonal demand, and equipment supply can all change the answer.

B&H can help evaluate direct rail service, Coopers Plains transload, an existing rail-served property, railcar storage, or a new siding or agricultural facility in Steuben County and across the affiliated railroad network.

Start with the exact product and the receiving operation—not a generic claim about “railcar capacity” or savings. The lane, car, payload, handling system, and commercial arrangement must work together.
Product Groups

Different agricultural products require different equipment and operating controls.

Select a product group to review representative equipment, facility questions, commercial inputs, and operational considerations.

Grain & Oilseeds

Plan around product quality, density, unloading rate, and seasonal flow.

Corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, specialty grains, oilseeds, and similar dry bulk products often align with covered-hopper transportation. The practical plan must still account for origin loading, product requirements, prior cargo, moisture, dust, unloading equipment, storage capacity, and the receiving schedule.

Typical equipment Covered hoppers and other approved commodity-specific equipment.
Facility questions Pit, conveyor, pneumatic system, bins, scale, truck flow, and unloading rate.
Commercial questions Origin, destination, annual tons, seasonality, equipment supply, and cycle.
Operational focus Product integrity, weather protection, inventory, release timing, and dwell.
Three Ways to Reach Rail

The current facility does not have to determine the long-term logistics strategy.

01

Direct rail to the facility

Deliver railcars to an existing B&H-served mill, processor, distributor, or agricultural operation when the track, unloading system, storage, switching plan, and Norfolk Southern routing through Painted Post support the product.

  • Review track ownership, condition, capacity, and clearances.
  • Confirm receiving rate, car spots, storage, and truck circulation.
  • Coordinate service, equipment, releases, and inventory workflows.
Review the Startup Process →
02

Transload to regional trucks

Use B&H for the rail movement and transfer product to trucks at Coopers Plains when the plant, farm, mill, or distributor does not have a private siding.

  • Match Coopers Plains or another approved facility to the product and railcar.
  • Include handling, storage, labor, truck radius, and throughput.
  • Review the 40,000-square-foot building, four dry-storage bays, two rail spurs, certified truck scale, conveyors, power, permits, and operating ownership.
Explore Properties & Transload →
03

Develop or expand rail access

Integrate rail, building layout, bins or tanks, truck circulation, utilities, stormwater, containment, permitting, and expansion plans before the site design is fixed.

  • Screen Steuben County properties and the B&H connection.
  • Develop the conceptual track and operating plan.
  • Coordinate engineering, public partners, schedule, and approvals.
Explore Industrial Development →
Seasonal Supply Planning

Peak demand should be planned before the peak arrives.

Spring and fall demand, harvest cycles, mill consumption, supplier schedules, equipment supply, storage, truck availability, and railcar turn time all affect the amount of product the system can actually handle.

01Forecast demandEstimate annual tons, weekly consumption, seasonal peaks, safety stock, and expected growth.
02Secure the supply pathConfirm supplier, origin, Norfolk Southern routing through Painted Post, equipment, rate, loading, and planned startup window.
03Prepare receiving capacityValidate unloading rate, storage, car spots, trucks, labor, hours, and facility constraints.
04Release and monitor carsUse defined communication, inventory, tracing, placement, release, and exception workflows.
Railcars should not be treated as automatic or free storage. Applicable free time, demurrage, private-car status, storage arrangements, track capacity, switching access, and the governing tariff or agreement must be confirmed.
What Determines Operational Fit?

The railcar is only one part of the agricultural receiving system.

01

Product integrity

Prior cargo, cleaning, moisture, contamination control, segregation, weather protection, and customer specifications.

02

Density and payload

Product density, cubic capacity, load limit, expected net product weight, route, and actual truck payload.

03

Unloading and transfer rate

Pits, conveyors, pneumatic systems, pumps, hoses, labor, truck loading, hours, and cars that can be received at once.

04

Storage and inventory

Bins, silos, tanks, sheds, warehouses, pads, segregation, safety stock, production use, and seasonal overflow.

05

Truck and site flow

Road access, scales, queueing, circulation, loading position, farm or mill delivery radius, and winter conditions.

06

Visibility and car management

Forecasts, inbound visibility, inventory, placement, release, dwell, exceptions, and customer communication.

Agriculture Freight Readiness

See how much information is ready for a preliminary review.

Check the items already known. A project can begin before every box is complete, but more information helps narrow the equipment, access, route, facility, and commercial questions.

This checklist runs only in the browser and does not submit or save information.

Project Readiness Checklist

0% Early concept
Start with the exact product, lane, and estimated volume.
Request a Project Review →
Agriculture Rail FAQs

Common questions about equipment, transload, seasonality, storage, and development.

01 Do I need a private rail siding to use rail?

No. B&H's Coopers Plains facility can transfer approved grain, feed ingredients, fertilizer, and other products between railcars and trucks. The project still must match the product, railcar, unloading method, storage need, truck radius, permits, safety requirements, and available operating capacity.

Explore Properties & Transload
02 Which railcar is used for agricultural products?

Covered hoppers are common for many dry bulk products. Qualifying liquids may require commodity-specific tank cars, and some packaged products may use boxcars. Final equipment selection depends on density, load limit, cubic capacity, product requirements, route, prior cargo, and the loading and unloading systems.

Compare Railcar Types
03 Can rail support seasonal demand?

Rail can be part of a seasonal inventory and replenishment strategy, but the supplier, equipment supply, railcar cycle, receiving capacity, storage, forecast, truck distribution, free time, and service plan must be coordinated before the peak period.

Review the Startup Roadmap
04 Can railcars simply be used as free storage?

No assumption should be made that railcars are free storage. Applicable free time, demurrage, private-car status, storage arrangements, track capacity, operating access, and the governing tariff or agreement must be reviewed.

View B&H Tariff Information Explore Railcar Storage
05 Can B&H help evaluate a new feed mill, fertilizer terminal, or agricultural site?

Yes. The railroad can help organize freight, rail access, conceptual track, operating fit, properties, utilities, development partners, schedule, and the information needed for a project-specific review. Final engineering, permits, approvals, pricing, and funding remain separate project steps.

Industrial Development Site Selection Support
06 What information is needed for an agriculture freight review?

Provide the exact product, STCC when known, origin, destination, annual tons, seasonality, truck payload and frequency, expected railcar, current facility or property, unloading and storage requirements, desired startup, and the business objective.

Contact Business Development
Planning Tools & Next Steps

Move from a commodity idea to a project-specific freight review.

The Railcar Guide & Freight Estimator and selected commodity resources are maintained centrally on the LA&L railroad-family website. B&H project suitability, route, equipment, capacity, handling, and service still require railroad review.

01 Coopers Plains Photo
02 Coopers Plains Photo
03 Coopers Plains Photo
04 Coopers Plains Photo
B&H Transload Facility

Coopers Plains Transload & Warehousing

Highlight the 40,000-square-foot building, four dry-storage bays, two rail spurs, certified truck scale, mobile conveyors, commodity loading capability, three-phase power, and project-specific handling options.

Explore Coopers Plains →
Covered hopper railcar illustration
Equipment & volume

Railcar Guide & Freight Estimator

Compare common railcars, understand gross and net weight, estimate annual railcars, and convert freight units.

Launch the Guide →
RVP dashboard showing railcar inventory and planning information
Current customers

RVP+ Visibility & Planning

Review approved customer tools for inbound visibility, inventory, service requests, planning, training, and support.

Explore RVP+ →
Getting Started With Rail → Tariffs & Fuel Surcharge → Family Food Ingredients Guide ↗
Request an Agriculture Freight Review

Bring us the product, lane, volume, and receiving need.

Contact the B&H business development team about grain, feed ingredients, fertilizer, direct rail, Coopers Plains transload, rail-served property, storage, track expansion, or a new agricultural facility.

Contact Business Development → Return to Ship by Rail →