Hill County, Montana, grain growers turned out en masse Monday for a community forum on the future of rail service to Big Sandy's grain elevator.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Big Sandy, called the meeting to address community rumblings that rail service might be short-lived.

"The community needed to express its concerns and vent a little bit," said Lochiel Edwards, president of the Montana Grain Growers Association, who also attended.

About 100 growers heard from a Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman, highway officials, the elevator owner and others at the high school auditorium.

The last time any grain left Big Sandy by railcar was October. Elevator owner ADM/CHS is instead using semi-tractor trailers to carry the grain to market.

Some producers worry the lack of railway traffic will touch off a chain reaction that could lead to the demise of the rail line and, eventually, the elevator itself.

"If the rail goes away, we think the elevator won't compete in the long-term markets," Edwards said.

In a telephone interview Tuesday, railway spokesman Gus Melonas said the future of the line will be driven by customer request for service. The customer, in this case, is ADM/CHS.

Loss of the BNSF line would have a crippling effect on the town of 700, and the region, Tester said.

Big Sandy is a destination for dozens of farmers who buy equipment, groceries and other supplies when they haul their harvest to town. Without their business, the town would lose thousands in revenue each year. Loss of the line also would also mean higher highway maintenance costs since semi-tractor trailers now deliver the grain to Havre and other regional elevators on Highway 87.

Some small producers who don't have the long-haul equipment could be left out in the cold without rail service, Edwards said.

Monday's meeting didn't produce any definitive results and probably didn't end fears about the rail line, said Tester, but it did open a public dialogue between the railroad, the elevator owner and the community.

"The bottom line is I think we've got to keep communicating and hopefully there will be an understanding by the corporations that this line is important to rural Montana," Tester said.