KANSAS CITY, MO, July 27, 1998--U.S.
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and U.S. Transportation Secretary
Rodney E. Slater signed an agreement
creating a joint Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Department of
Transportation (DOT) task force that will formalize information
sharing between the departments, identify issues critical to rural
mobility, consider joint research efforts, develop joint policy
initiatives, and undertake outreach to users and providers of rural
transportation services. As a result of the agreement, the Data and
Information Exchange Committee of the Rural Transportation Task Force
formed this web site.
Agricultural Transportation Challenges for the 21st
Century: A Framework for Discussion
This preliminary report, prepared for the USDA Summit on
agricultural transportation, held at the Kansas City Airport Marriott,
Kansas City, MO, on July 27-28, 1998, examines the major
transportation and infrastructure issues that will affect U.S.
agriculture in the 21st century. It frames these agricultural
transportation issues for a general agricultural audience by providing
background information on the importance of transportation to
agriculture, the economic and service characteristics of the different
transportation modes, and the transport services used by U.S.
agriculture. The report notes that agriculture is the largest user of
freight transportation services in the country. Rail, waterways,
roads, and air are all significant modes of transportation for
American farm products.
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