Idaho Potato Shippers In Need Of More Rail Cars

Idaho potato shippers are hitting a bit of a wall when it comes to getting that Idaho gold out of the fields and on the road. It could be the biggest catch-22 in the potato shipment industry right now.

The Idaho Grower Shippers Association represents potato shippers across the state. They said there are just so many spuds, transporting them is proving to be a dud.

"I think the transportation market is feeling it because you know they want to supply everything they need via trucks or rail,"said IGSA President Travis Blacker. "And so obviously they're losing out on business."

In September and October 2009, IGSA reportedly requested 608 train cars from Union Pacific to ship potatoes. In 2010, IGSA needed 729 cars, and in 2011 it needed 801 cars to ship potato harvests.

"Hearing from customers that have never called before and saying, now I need rail cars. We appreciate the business. We very much want to support their business,"said Union Pacific representative Pat Linden.

"But when we have a finite number of cars and a variable amount of demand, it becomes difficult to sometimes meet the full demand,"said Linden.