Sign of the times I : Buffett’s Burlington Exploits Boxed Asia Grain Up 29%

Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the railroad controlled by Warren Buffett, is upgrading yards that handle shipping containers as it takes advantage of a 29 percent surge in Asia-bound shipments of specialty grains, Bloomberg reports.

Products such as organic or genetically modified soybeans, which can’t travel in traditional hopper cars, are now being packed in containers that once sailed back empty to Asia after bringing retail goods to the U.S. That’s an opportunity for railroads to bring boxes of specialty grains to American ports.

U.S. agriculture exports in containers accounted for 21 percent of 2010’s total, 4 percentage points more than 2006, as carriers and shippers seek to meet consumer demand among Asia’s growing middle class. Burlington has disclosed about $680 million in spending on container yards since 2002, more than half in the Midwest, where most corn and soybeans are grown….

Read more at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-17/buffett-s-burlington-exploits-boxed-asia-grain-up-29-freight.html