Rail transportation issues have plagued grain shipments through the winter months, and those problems are affecting other ag-related commodities.

Fertilizer giant Nutrien announced on Thursday it is temporarily laying off 1300 workers from its potash mines at Vanscoy and Allan, saying the layoffs are directly related to the rail transportation backlogs and a looming strike by Canadian Pacific Railway.

Nutrien is the new company formed by the recent merger of PotashCorp and Agrium.

The layoff notices take effect early next month and could last for days or even weeks.

Farm groups and politicians across the prairies have been calling on the federal government for the last several weeks to put pressure on the railways and pass legislation that would help minimize backlogs.