The dataset contains weekly rail service metrics from the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The STB began collecting some service metrics from railroads in October 2014 and issued a final rulemaking in March 2017, ultimately collecting data on 11 different categories of rail service (listed below). The STB also collects Chicago-specific metrics that are not included in this dataset. The original STB source data can be found here: https://prod.stb.gov/reports-data/rail-service-data/.

This dataset is a compilation of all 11 categories in a single table. The single-table approach offers a convenient way to access all of the data at once, and it enables the use of the "global filter" feature in the Agricultural Rail Service Metrics dashboard found here: https://internal.agtransport.usda.gov/stories/s/jxpf-zf6y.

For those that wish to work with each category separately (or to view the metadata for each category), the 11 individual tables can be accessed at the following URLs:

Carloadings: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/tb7q-kn5i.
Train Speeds: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/2wy9-nmz4.
Origin Dwell Times: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/34cn-rk65.
Terminal Dwell Times: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/9z94-b4fw.
Cars On Line: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/grdc-x6yk.
Manifest Grain Car Order Fulfillment: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/57pa-stwn.
Railcars Not Moved: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/fta3-xryx.
Trains Held Short: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/iacs-9uck.
Grain Cars Loaded and Billed: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/27k8-utc2.
Grain Shuttle Train Turns: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/nwye-ushu.
Coal Unit Train Loadings: https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/5pbv-pd4d.

This dataset provides a monthly summary of agricultural imports and exports through U.S. ocean ports by country of origin or destination.

The dataset provides waterborne agricultural import and export data by commodity, U.S. port, and origin or destination countries. Shipments are identified as moved in a container or in a bulk vessel.

A "spread" can have multiple meanings, but it generally implies a difference between two comparable measures. These can be differences across space, across time, or across anything with a similar attribute. For example, in the stock market, there is a spread between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept.

In this dataset, spread refers to differences in prices between two locations, an origin (e.g., Illinois, Iowa, etc.) and a destination (e.g., Louisiana Gulf, Pacific Northwest, etc.). Mathematically, it is the destination price minus the origin price.

Price spreads are closely linked to transportation. They tend to reflect the costs of moving goods from one point to another, all else constant. Fluctuations in spreads can change the flow of goods (where it may be more profitable to ship to a different location), as well as indicate changes in transportation availability (e.g., disruptions). For more information on how price spreads are linked to transportation, see the story, "Grain Prices, Basis, and Transportation" (https://agtransport.usda.gov/stories/s/sjmk-tkh6).

This is one of three companion datasets. The other two are grain prices (https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/g92w-8cn7) and grain basis (https://agtransport.usda.gov/d/v85y-3hep). These datasets are separate, because the coverage lengths differ and missing values are removed (e.g., there needs to be a cash price and a futures price to have a basis price, and there needs to be both an origin and a destination to have a price spread).

The origin and destination prices come from the grain prices dataset.

Query from the full grain inspections data to only include the latest week of data. Volumes are summed for each commodity, port, and destination combination.

This chart shows the latest weekly barge tariff rates at selected locations. Use filters to change date range and location.

This dataset includes historical volumes of US DDGS exports to destination countries by U.S. port districts and calendar year.

This is a line chart showing US average refrigerated truck rates, by default including the past two years. It is filterable by date, region, origin, destination, distance, and commodity.

Weekly grain cars loaded and billed data from the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) Rail Service Metrics. As part of their submission to the STB, railroads provide data broken out by state on the total number of grain cars loaded and billed. STB requests railroads include cars in shuttle service; dedicated train service; reservation, lottery, open and other ordering systems; and private cars. The reported cars are separated into three components: (1) total grain cars loaded and billed for shuttle service (or dedicated train service); (2) total grain cars loaded and billed for ordering systems other than shuttle (or dedicated train) service; and (3) the combined total (that is, the total grain cars loaded and billed for all ordering systems).

Grain includes the following Standard Transportation Commodity Codes (STCCs): 01131 (barley), 01132 (corn), 01133 (oats), 01135 (rye), 01136 (sorghum grains), 01137 (wheat), 01139 (grain, not elsewhere classified), 01144 (soybeans), 01341 (beans, dry), 01342 (peas, dry), and 01343 (cowpeas, lentils, or lupines).

Daily Brent Crude Oil Spot Prices (FOB in dollars per barrel) from the Energy Information Administration