One of the problems faced by farmers in the late 1800s was that railroads

 ...Charged very high prices to move farm products to market 
The farmers felt the railroads had monopoly power over them. The farmers essentially had no choice but to send their crops to market on trains. There was not much, if any, competition on most short-line tracks that went through farm areas. Therefore, most farmers had to simply accept whatever price railroads charged to transport crops. Farmers felt the railroads could gouge them by charging high prices and that they, the farmers, had no recourse when this happened. They blamed much of their trouble on this monopoly power.

Railroads were charged with irrational prices to move their farm products to the markets  

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