Federal Maritime Commission chair, Surface Transportation Board member to appear at Transportation Go!

Daniel Maffei, Robert Primus to discuss agricultural transportation issues

Transportation Go!, the premier conference for soybean and grain transportation and trade issues in the Upper Midwest, is pleased to announce that Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei and Surface Transportation Board member Robert E. Primus have agreed to appear at this year’s conference, March 3-4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Transportation Go! conference is focused on improving the competitive shipping environment for U.S. agriculture shippers and exporters everywhere with an emphasis on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel Maffei

Maffei has been invited to discuss FMC’s efforts to find solutions to the global container shipping crisis and to protect the ability of U.S. inland agriculture container export shippers to serve their food manufacturing customers overseas.

Primus has been asked to address initiatives aimed at increasing competition and options for railroad service of agriculture shippers, including connectivity improvements among Class I railroads, regional and short line railroads and intermodal service.

“The future of agriculture comes from the future of transportation,” said Eric Wenberg, executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance, host of the Transportation Go! conference. “We can’t build the future of agriculture without these organizations and leaders helping us.”

Maffei was designated as FMC chairman by President Biden in 2021. He was first nominated to serve on the commission in 2016 by President Obama and again in 2019 by President Trump.

Primus was STB vice-chairman in February of 2021 – January 2022, shortly after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a board member in January 2021.

“Making a difference in agriculture means being vocal to build a solution,” said Bruce Abbe, SSGA strategic adviser for trade and transportation. “We are grateful that Chairman Maffei and STB member Primus are traveling to speak to our group and help build a reliable, efficient North American agricultural supply chain.”

Formerly known as the Northern Commodity Transportation Conference, Transportation Go! will bring in the industry’s top stakeholders, from boots-on-the-ground commodity growers and organizations to traders and shippers of specialty crops, along with representatives from key ports along the Great Lakes and more.

This highly engaging conference will provide the opportunity for in-depth discussions about the global supply chain and how it affects the vital movement of agricultural products both domestically and around the world. It will be an opportunity for attendees to weigh in on solution-seeking ideas and identifying priorities.

Besides presentations from Maffei and Primus, Transportation Go! will feature a robust agenda that includes discussion on these topics and more, including a market development and outlook panel featuring commodity organization leaders from the U.S. Grains Council, U.S. Wheat Associates and the U.S. Soybean Export Council.

Transportation Go! will take place March 3-4 at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Register today at transportationgo.com. Early bird pricing is available through Feb. 8. Special hotel rates are also available through Feb. 11.