Tyson closing plant in Perry

[Cyforce]

Come on man, you only have to drive a couple minutes into either place and realize they aren't remotely the same.

And why is that?

1300 packing plant employees v. Maytag workers making 60-70k 30 years ago.

 

[2speedy1]

It’s interesting that they wouldn’t have utilized it for their finished goods; it seems logical knowing the products’ final destination.

I am confused what you mean? They did utilize it. And do where it is available.

But that one industry/plant is not enough to keep a rail line going.

Most of these places that have rail access ship both by truck and train, and has different reasoning for what goes each way.


Here is a bit more info, and some other good info in the link:

Last year, rail accounted for approximately 28% of the total U.S. freight movement by ton-miles. In 2018, 1.7 trillion ton-miles of freight (calculated by multiplying shipment weight in tons by the number of miles that it is transported) was shipped by rail, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

How Much Freight Ships by Rail?​

Let’s break it down even further. According to the AAR, in 2019, U.S. Class I railroads shipped:

• 4 million carloads of coal (with each rail car carrying enough coal to power 21 homes for an entire year).
• 2.2 million carloads of chemicals (including plastics, synthetic fibers, drugs and soaps and much more).
• Approximately 2 million carloads of construction-related materials (including lumber, steel, stone, sand and gravel).
• 1.8 million carloads of motor vehicles and parts.
• 1.6 million carloads of food products.
• 1.6 million carloads of grain and other farm products.
• 13.7 million units of intermodal shipments (including goods like electronics, home goods and clothing).

What’s more, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the total number of U.S. freight shipments will increase by 30% from 18.6 billion tons in 2018 to 24.2 billion tons in 2040 – which means there is a very good chance even more freight will travel by rail in the future.

How Much Freight Ships by Rail In the US?

Take an in-depth look at how rail plays a critical role in America’s transportation network

www.up.com

 

[BCClone]

. We buy a pig from a friend every year who raises them outdoors on a mix of corn, acorns, table scraps etc.... I can tell tell the difference.

What breed of pig?

 

[Gunnerclone]

Come on man, you only have to drive a couple minutes into either place and realize they aren't remotely the same.

I think they are both garbage tier as far as non river towns go (I mean the Mississippi River)lol.

Newton’s new WalMart might give it a slight edge lol.

 

[herbicide]

I am confused what you mean? They did utilize it. And do where it is available.

But that one industry/plant is not enough to keep a rail line going.

Most of these places that have rail access ship both by truck and train, and has different reasoning for what goes each way.


Here is a bit more info, and some other good info in the link:

Last year, rail accounted for approximately 28% of the total U.S. freight movement by ton-miles. In 2018, 1.7 trillion ton-miles of freight (calculated by multiplying shipment weight in tons by the number of miles that it is transported) was shipped by rail, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

How Much Freight Ships by Rail?​

Let’s break it down even further. According to the AAR, in 2019, U.S. Class I railroads shipped:

• 4 million carloads of coal (with each rail car carrying enough coal to power 21 homes for an entire year).
• 2.2 million carloads of chemicals (including plastics, synthetic fibers, drugs and soaps and much more).
• Approximately 2 million carloads of construction-related materials (including lumber, steel, stone, sand and gravel).
• 1.8 million carloads of motor vehicles and parts.
• 1.6 million carloads of food products.
• 1.6 million carloads of grain and other farm products.
• 13.7 million units of intermodal shipments (including goods like electronics, home goods and clothing).

What’s more, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the total number of U.S. freight shipments will increase by 30% from 18.6 billion tons in 2018 to 24.2 billion tons in 2040 – which means there is a very good chance even more freight will travel by rail in the future.

How Much Freight Ships by Rail In the US?

Take an in-depth look at how rail plays a critical role in America’s transportation network

www.up.com

Other plants can justify the rail connection just for the low value byproducts, albeit most of them are larger in volume. I know this, because I frequently visit most of the major processors in the midwest and they have the service.

Now for Tyson Perry, the majority of their product is export and goes to a seaport for overseas shipment. In my mind this would be ideal for rail transport. Note for most processing plants a minority (significantly a minority) of product is export.

I don't claim to be an expert on rail shipments, which is why I am asking it doesn't work for Perry, when it can work at a lower rate for other plants (if Perry could/would ship their exported finish goods via rail). Places like Waterloo seem simple enough since they are neighbors to John Deere, but there are other plants (Joslin for instance) that have service and don't have such neighbors. I could be wrong here but both Joslin and are relatively close to the "hwy 30" main line (sorry I don't know the right name for it). In other words, is it strictly volume related, or volume + distance from rail facilities, or something else?

 

[clone4life82]

I’m thinking you have predisposed yourself to that. There are a few out there that are non confinement raised.

I will also say (I don’t like saying this either) that your ma and pa butcher shops are not the place to buy your pork. The key to pork is that it needs to be chilled extremely fast. Most lockers can’t do it fast enough. As pork chills, the pH drops and the meat starts turning acidic. The slower the drop, the more acidic it is. A saltier pork is best so either buy Berkshire (which has a ADG of like 1) pork or get pork from a newer processing plant (Triumph or id guess the new eagle grove Prestage plant is that way) that is a rapid chill. It will be the most flavorful

Stupid question but how do you know where you’re getting it from? Do the local hyvees/fareways purchase from triumph or the prestige plant? I’m very interested in trying this now.

 

[herbicide]

Stupid question but how do you know where you’re getting it from? Do the local hyvees/fareways purchase from triumph or the prestige plant? I’m very interested in trying this now.

Generally the only way you'll really know where the product is coming from is if you can see the USDA establishment number on the package and look it up. Sure you can ask, but they can buy from different plants/companies at any given time so the employees may not even know. There is an app but it doesn't work very well, best unfortunately is to either search this CSV:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/MPI_Directory_by_Establishment_Number.csv

Or this .pdf:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/MPI_Directory_by_Establishment_Number.pdf

Edit:

These are your newer plants. I don't know what chilling tech they use though:
Seaboard Triumph Sioux City 46071
Wholestone 46491
Prestage 51340

 

[cymac2408]

Don’t know if mentioned yet or not. But luckily the Iowa Legislature had the foresight to change unemployment benefits to help these workers in their time of need.

Enter sarcasm pirate

 

[BCClone]

Stupid question but how do you know where you’re getting it from? Do the local hyvees/fareways purchase from triumph or the prestige plant? I’m very interested in trying this now.

There are brands to look for. I don’t know off the top of my head what they are. I’d have to go to the garage and check the freezer for some.

 

[2speedy1]

Other plants can justify the rail connection just for the low value byproducts, albeit most of them are larger in volume. I know this, because I frequently visit most of the major processors in the midwest and they have the service.

Now for Tyson Perry, the majority of their product is export and goes to a seaport for overseas shipment. In my mind this would be ideal for rail transport. Note for most processing plants a minority (significantly a minority) of product is export.

I don't claim to be an expert on rail shipments, which is why I am asking it doesn't work for Perry, when it can work at a lower rate for other plants (if Perry could/would ship their exported finish goods via rail). Places like Waterloo seem simple enough since they are neighbors to John Deere, but there are other plants (Joslin for instance) that have service and don't have such neighbors. I could be wrong here but both Joslin and are relatively close to the "hwy 30" main line (sorry I don't know the right name for it). In other words, is it strictly volume related, or volume + distance from rail facilities, or something else?

The reason Perry doesnt ship by rail...anymore.... is because Union Pacific closed the line. They did ship via rail when there was a train line there. I do not know if they truck to a warehouse facility somewhere then ship via rail at this time.

The line dead ended at Perry, because many years ago, when all the rail companies consolidated the line became redundant, and there was not enough business on the line itself to pay to maintain the track and pay for crews to work the job. So as the business continued to decrease and the line had no need beyond Perry, the line became to costly to maintain for an industry or two, that shipped a relatively small number of cars.

When it comes to rail lines, there has to be enough business or be a through route from point A-B enroute to somewhere, to justify keeping the line open. Now there are other factors along with this but that is the basic reasoning. Most RRs are looking to eliminate small shippers, they want a large amount of business in major hubs then transport that over long distance. For example a large amount of business in or near Des Moines, where they have established tracks, and along main lines.

The places that justify rail service, ship a large volume, or are on established main lines, or on a line where there is a lot of customers so total number of shipments is high, or are on a short length of line that requires very little maintenance.(it costs hundreds of thousands per mile to repair/upgrade track.) So when the track that went to Perry, was in such bad shape that it needed to be replaced, upgraded and renewed it would have cost many $Millions to do so. There just was not enough business left on the line to justify that cost, they would never recover that cost. They would have needed a lot more businesses that shipped their volume, or a couple large businesses that shipped hundreds of cars per week, like an ethanol plant or 2, etc. To justify that cost.

And almost no railroads are building new lines. If they are it is a really short line for a huge industry. So no there has not been a line out of Perry anywhere but to Des Moines for many years. So they would never build a new line to connect to the double main. That would cost $billions.

This is happening all over the country, and has for decades.

So facilities that have rail and where it is beneficial to utilize it they do.

Here is a site with a collection of maps of the current railroads in Iowa, the traffic and the industries. If an industry is not on one of these lines it is very unlikely they will ever get a new line. And even then some of the least used lines will end up being closed eventually.

Their are a couple of historic maps to compare to as well.

Collection of Iowa Railroad Maps | Iowa DOT

Sorry for the long winded post but I didnt know how to explain it any other way.

 

[2speedy1]

Don’t know if mentioned yet or not. But luckily the Iowa Legislature had the foresight to change unemployment benefits to help these workers in their time of need.

Enter sarcasm pirate

What state has?

Iowa gets the same as California. $450 a week for 26 weeks. With a cost of living basically double.

Some states get half as much for half the time.

Unemployment Benefits By State - How Much Can You Receive from Unemployment Insurance Benefits?

Each state has unique Unemployment Insurance Benefits. This table shows How Much Unemployment Benefits Pay in each, weeks of benefits, & more

themilitarywallet.com

 

[FarmClone]

. We buy a pig from a friend every year who raises them outdoors on a mix of corn, acorns, table scraps etc.... I can tell tell the difference.

I’m sure you can and I’d bet it’s the acorns that makes the difference.

 

[herbicide]

The reason Perry doesnt ship by rail...anymore.... is because Union Pacific closed the line. They did ship via rail when there was a train line there. I do not know if they truck to a warehouse facility somewhere then ship via rail at this time.

The line dead ended at Perry, because many years ago, when all the rail companies consolidated the line became redundant, and there was not enough business on the line itself to pay to maintain the track and pay for crews to work the job. So as the business continued to decrease and the line had no need beyond Perry, the line became to costly to maintain for an industry or two, that shipped a relatively small number of cars.

When it comes to rail lines, there has to be enough business or be a through route from point A-B enroute to somewhere, to justify keeping the line open. Now there are other factors along with this but that is the basic reasoning. Most RRs are looking to eliminate small shippers, they want a large amount of business in major hubs then transport that over long distance. For example a large amount of business in or near Des Moines, where they have established tracks, and along main lines.

The places that justify rail service, ship a large volume, or are on established main lines, or on a line where there is a lot of customers so total number of shipments is high, or are on a short length of line that requires very little maintenance.(it costs hundreds of thousands per mile to repair/upgrade track.) So when the track that went to Perry, was in such bad shape that it needed to be replaced, upgraded and renewed it would have cost many $Millions to do so. There just was not enough business left on the line to justify that cost, they would never recover that cost. They would have needed a lot more businesses that shipped their volume, or a couple large businesses that shipped hundreds of cars per week, like an ethanol plant or 2, etc. To justify that cost.

And almost no railroads are building new lines. If they are it is a really short line for a huge industry. So no there has not been a line out of Perry anywhere but to Des Moines for many years. So they would never build a new line to connect to the double main. That would cost $billions.

This is happening all over the country, and has for decades.

So facilities that have rail and where it is beneficial to utilize it they do.

Here is a site with a collection of maps of the current railroads in Iowa, the traffic and the industries. If an industry is not on one of these lines it is very unlikely they will ever get a new line. And even then some of the least used lines will end up being closed eventually.

Their are a couple of historic maps to compare to as well.

Collection of Iowa Railroad Maps | Iowa DOT

Sorry for the long winded post but I didnt know how to explain it any other way.

Thank you this explains it. It does make it sound like other red meat plants happened (either by design or luck) place themselves on lines. I had no idea the cost per mile of line was that high, that explains itself for Perry. Essentially "Perry" didn't necessarily choose to forgo the service, it sounds like the service chose to forgo Perry. (Justifiably so)

 

[ISUTex]

Newton's housing market crashed when Maytag shutdown. You seeing it as a nicer town is based on demographics. I understand it's not necessarily intentional but it's a sad perception.

Well it is what it is. Been to both towns quite a bit in the last 10 years. Newton is a lot nicer than Perry.

 

[cyzygy11]

A couple of notes:
-The former Tyson plant in Cherokee was purchased by Oklahoma based Lopez Foods in 2018. They have one shift and produce pressed ham slices for McDonalds.

-The SeaboardTriumph plant in Sioux City sends some of its product to both China and Mexico.

 

[ISUTex]

And why is that?

1300 packing plant employees v. Maytag workers making 60-70k 30 years ago.

Yeah. Probably. Newton is also bigger and is in a better location. Point is, losing the packing plant could hurt Perry a lot more than Newton losing Maytag.

 

[ISUTex]

What breed of pig?

No idea. He has two sows that are whitish with black spots or belted. Piglets all look similar. His grandkids usually show a couple of the pigs at their county fair and he puts the rest out in a lot and feeds them out. We buy one when it's around 300lbs, and take it to our local locker. Yummy stuff.

 

[cymac2408]

What state has?

Iowa gets the same as California. $450 a week for 26 weeks. With a cost of living basically double.

Some states get half as much for half the time.

Unemployment Benefits By State - How Much Can You Receive from Unemployment Insurance Benefits?

Each state has unique Unemployment Insurance Benefits. This table shows How Much Unemployment Benefits Pay in each, weeks of benefits, & more

themilitarywallet.com

The law used to be 26 weeks but was changed to 16 weeks but in SOME cases they may get 26. Coincidentally there isn’t a payment the 1st week.

Edit: your website is false. Try going directly to Iowa Workforce Development website. I knew this law change because I personally was at the capital fighting against the change.

 

[NWICY]

Currently the number of cattle in the USA is the lowest in about 75 years. I believe it is the lowest since 1950 or 51, with no rebound in sight.

This is/will make beef prices continue to skyrocket, while availability decreases.

Edit: add link

Nation's cattle numbers lowest since 1951. What does that mean for farmers and consumers?

Will tightened beef cattle numbers drive up demand and prices for beef?

www.wisfarmer.com

Hard to retain ownership and build the herd when slaughter animals are worth so much. Retain and get a calf old enough to butcher is a long play vs. Cash up front.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

The law used to be 26 weeks but was changed to 16 weeks but in SOME cases they may get 26. Coincidentally there isn’t a payment the 1st week.

Edit: your website is false. Try going directly to Iowa Workforce Development website. I knew this law change because I personally was at the capital fighting against the change.

Iowa Workforce Development is a complete joke. Took my wife 5 weeks to get her 1st check and that was after numerous calls and visits. I feel bad for people that really need that weekly check.