SSGA, US Identity Preserved on display at Soy Connext

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The U.S. Identity Preserved label was on display when SSGA participated in USSEC’s Soy Connext conference Aug. 21-23 in New York City. SSGA was a sponsor and manned a trade table where the organization was able to network with visiting buyers from all around the world and discuss identity preserved, food-grade and specialty soybeans.

Naturally, Prather pointed out, the soy milk was way more popular than the almond milk during the Soy Connext Soyfood Sourcing course.

In addition, SSGA took part in a pre-Soy Connext Soyfood Sourcing short course for about 30 soyfood buyers from Japan, Korea, China Taiwan and other Asian countries. Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, board director Rob Prather of WeFARM Organics and Mai Nguyen of Scoular represented SSGA with discussions on the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan, varietal selection and working with suppliers, and why timing and planning are important when it comes to purchasing variety-specific, identity preserved soybeans as food ingredients.

In all, Soy Connext drew more than 700 attendees from 60 countries.

 

‘A firsthand look’: SSGA finds opportunities in Halifax

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) is creating opportunities beyond the St. Lawrence Seaway.

In August, SSGA hosted a See for Yourself Port of Halifax tour, sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council (MSR&PC) with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board sponsoring Friday’s lunch. Connected to more than 150 countries, the Port of Halifax has the potential to export northern-grown soybeans to European countries through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System, expanding the market and increasing farmers’ bottom lines.

“The See for Yourself program gave us a firsthand look at the shipping opportunities available to the Eastern United States and Canada,” said MSR&PC Vice Chair Gail Donkers. “Over the next 10-50 years, the Council is looking to expand markets out of Duluth and the Port of Halifax to provide more opportunities for Minnesota soybean farmers.”

Generating conversations was the focus while in Halifax. Those conversations were kickstarted at the PIER, a center for port innovation, planning and strategy, where attendees heard from key players in the shipping and transportation industry. As a member-supported company, the PIER is a living lab for maritime transportation and logistics, dedicated to solving persistent sector challenges.

“We want to drive innovation for our supply chain and create efficiencies,” said PIER Director David Thomas. “These problems are larger than just one partner. We have to be able to work with our rail line, with our terminal operators, with our carriers.”

Along with Thomas, SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg, MSR&PC Director of Market Development Kim Nill, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association Executive Director Joe Smentek, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway International Trade Officer Jazmine Jurkiewicz, Atlantic Grains Council Vice President Neil Campbell and Hapag-Lloyd Senior Manager of Port Operations Xavier Hamonic spoke with the group.

“SSGA is focused on the logistics and the business behind this trade,” Wenberg said. “As a learning and listening organization, we’re going to have conversations and figure out what to do next. Shipping and transportation is the backbone of what we do.”

In marketing year 2021/2022, the United States exported more than 2 billion bushels of soybeans, yet only about two percent left the country via the St. Lawrence Seaway. Why? The better question is ‘Why not?’

“Why not Duluth-Superior?” Smentek asked. “We’ve had really great conversations with feed mills in Morocco. They want soy from the upper Midwest because they know the quality of the product that we have. There is a lot of opportunity for bulk shipments, especially port to port.”

Tackling trade barriers is hard work. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

“There are still barriers,” Smentek said. “The biggest one right now is economics. It is cheaper out of Houston and Norfolk. Highway H20 is working on a study to say, ‘Here is the cost that goes into the St. Lawrence Seaway and here’s the cost that goes into Houston.’”

In addition, exporting from Houston is cheaper because the state of Texas pays a lot of the costs associated with shipping and transportation.

“The question is, what fees can we tap into?” Smentek said. “If there is a pilot fee on a dock, can the state of Minnesota and Wisconsin pay for the pilot to come into Duluth-Superior? Can we start doing those things? But those questions haven’t even been asked yet. So that’s really what this effort is about.”

Luckily, neither SSGA nor soybean farmers shy away from asking questions that no one else is asking.

“It’s nice to have farmers, the experts, in the room to ask those questions,” Smentek said.

While there is still work to be done before the Port of Halifax becomes a hub for Upper Midwest-grown soybeans, SSGA and Minnesota and Wisconsin soybean growers are doing what they can to make the stars align.

“It’s a good exercise for Minnesota and Wisconsin checkoffs to make sure that there is a plan,” Smentek said. “And if you do have people that want U.S. soy like they do in Morocco, that they have a cheap, easy way to get it there and to get it there from Minnesota and Wisconsin.”

Building relationships – from ‘Fork to Farm’

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The term “fork to farm” still might sound backwards to some, but for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) and its members who supply food-grade soybeans, including those labeled with the U.S. Identity Preserved mark, it’s all forward thinking.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, SSGA brought the fork to the farm with its second Fork to Farm Day of the summer, this time hosting an Asian trade team in west-central Wisconsin, a hotbed of food-grade, identity preserved soybeans. The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB) sponsored the event.

“A lot of varieties can grow in Wisconsin,” said Scott Sinner, partner with SSGA-member SB&B Foods, a North Dakota-based company with a facility in Bloomer, Wis. “They ship out of Minneapolis, and farmers here have the same attitude: They know what’s needed for a safe, reliable crop.”

The trade team came to the U.S. via the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) and included visitors from Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kazakhstan and Myanmar. The group, which over the previous five days participated in Northern Crops Institute’s INTSOY course, traveling around North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, added the Fork to Farm event to its travel itinerary, first stopping at SB&B where it heard presentations and remarks from Sinner and representatives of SSGA, WSMB and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

“Events like Fork to Farm help form the beginnings of relationships,” said Mark Rhoda-Ries, director of the DATCP’s Export and Business Development Bureau. “With relationships, you can build trust, and with trust, you can build business.”

Andy Bensend, a farmer from Dallas, Wis., a director on the WSMB and a former SSGA board director, agreed.

“Relationships are critical to our success,” he told the visitors. “We rely on our customers overseas. We need to understand what brings value to you in your business that can help you succeed. We’re always learning, always curious, always trying to do better. … All of the spokes to this wheel have to fit together to help you receive what you are looking for.”

The group took a tour of SB&B’s food-grade processing facility and learned from Plant General Manager Tim Mohr, about the strict testing, sampling and other quality assurances the company follows in its identity preserved processes. It then went to a nearby restaurant for a networking lunch before going to Rooney Farms, a family-owned and operated farm and grain storage facility in Chippewa Falls, Wis.

There, they visited a nearby food-grade soybean field and talked to farm agronomist Ted Hilgerson and then got an up-close-and-personal look at the farm’s heavy equipment, workshops and storge bins.

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Among their crops, Rooney Farms grows identity preserved soybeans that are delivered just 15 minutes up the road to SB&B. Bensend also grows for SB&B.

“Identity preserved is key to us here in Wisconsin,” Bensend said. “Northwest Wisconsin will continue to be an area where IP production and the diverse agriculture in our state will always be in play for us – because we have the perfect spot to do it.”

The group ended the day with a fun, cultural event, touring Leinenkugel’s, a 155-year-old brewery in Chippewa Falls, and continuing the relationship-building process.

“It’s always a great pleasure to bring our overseas customers in to see our production capacity, our processing and our export business and all the different aspects of them,” Bensend said, “and to build those relationships with the folks who are our customers and who buy our soybeans. It’s just a win-win for everybody.”

The Wisconsin event followed a similar program in Illinois in June and one in Minnesota during the summer of 2022.

“SSGA is grateful for the support from states where identity preserved soybeans and other specialty field crops are prevalent,” said Shane Frederick, SSGA’s manager of strategic programs. “It’s our group’s goal to connect forks around the world to the farms and businesses in those states so we can have fruitful conversations and build lasting connections.”

SSGA leads transportation panel

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On July 13, SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg led a panel, “Teamwork Approach to Logistics & Transportation,” at the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Coalition’s (USAEDC) Attaché Seminar. Panelists, which included Port of Los Angeles CEO Gene Seroka, Brig Skoy of Savage Services and Jaeson Dandalides from CMA-CGM, discussed better approaches to moving equipment and making strategy.

Addressing USDA foreign attachés from U.S. embassies worldwide and leaders from U.S. agricultural associations, the panel stressed the need for better data and transparency between rail and ocean carriers to help reposition equipment. Often, carriers must overbook their vessels 150 percent so they can get a 90 percent fill rate.

The panelists detailed cases whereby working together has facilitated better outcomes in ag shipping. Seroka led the panelists saying he was ready to lead whatever discussion was needed to facilitate plans to get equipment where it was needed. Wenberg emphasized the need for USDA officials to keep logistics in mind when making plans for overseas market development and market access. It doesn’t make any sense to promote goods against logistical hurdles that are too great for companies to overcome.

SSGA event creates solid links of a chain

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Events like SSGA’s Fork to Farm help create solid links between everyone involved with the U.S. identity preserved field crop industry: From a crop’s start at the farm, to the processor and across the globe to the plate and fork of a consumer.

Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) was the host for the June 26 event, which included briefings from ISA, SSGA and Clarkson Grain Company, lunch and soy food samples from Jenny’s Tofu/Phoenix Bean and a farm tour. In attendance were growers, soy food manufacturers from Myanmar and Cambodia and exporters of U.S. Identity Preserved crops: Hang Tung Resources, WeFARM Organics, Clarkson Grain Company and Scoular.

The international soy food manufacturers were part of a trade team sponsored by the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) program. The trade team joined the event after completing a Food Grade Soybean Procurement course at Northern Crops Institute a few days before.

Discussions were held about soybeans grown in Illinois and their efficiency, quality and sustainability, as well as U.S. Identity Preserved field crops and the traceability these crops offer. Attendees from all parts of the industry agreed that traceability will continue to be important to consumers.

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“We’re talking about tofu today, but in the future, we’re going to have to provide the traceability for livestock feed. It’s coming,” said Rob Prather, SSGA Director and COO of WeFARM Organics.

“I believe I’m doing a good job at providing what the consumer wants, so I’m in favor of providing traceability,” said Bryan Severs, a grower and ISA Director. “We might as well be ahead of it. I know my son and other farmers in his generation will need to take the extra steps to grow a traceable crop. It’ll be second nature for the next generation to provide that traceability.”

­­­Attendees sampled soy foods made by Jenny Yang of Phoenix Bean/Jenny’s Tofu. Yang served samples of her soy foods, including various flavors of tofu, tofu dip, soy protein noodles, soy milk and tofu puffs.

Like her Taiwanese culture, Yang pays close attention to the quality of her ingredients, purchasing only identity preserved, non-GMO soybeans grown in Illinois. By using identity preserved soybeans with a higher protein content, Yang can create products that are ideal for tofu making. The higher protein soybeans yield a higher amount of tofu that shrinks less after cooking, leading to a more efficient product.

Yang’s products are available for purchase at Chicago area farmers markets and retailers such as Whole Foods.

Drew Whalen from Clarkson Grain Company stressed the importance for customers to state their interest in U.S. Identity Preserved crops early. It can take 18 months or more for an identity preserved crop to be delivered after the initial discussion with a customer about their specific product needs, such as hilum color, protein level, sugar or sucrose level.

In those 18 months, an exporter such as Clarkson Grain Company will discuss the needs and prepare a contract with their international customer. Then, they’ll find a grower able to plant and grow that identity preserved crop. Sometimes it is difficult to find a grower that will undergo the risk and adversities, such as fewer weed control options, of growing an identity preserved crop.

Despite the challenges with growing a U.S. Identity Preserved crop, growers are proud to know exactly where a product that they grew ends up.

“There’s something different about a food-grade farmer and the pride they have in growing an IP crop,” said Brett Blaser from Scoular.  “Many farmers and their dads, grandparents, all did the same thing and grew the same product. But a non-GMO farmer strayed away from the beaten path of what their family did and grew an identity preserved crop. They want to prove that they can do it.”

Fork to Farm attendees were able to experience some of this pride firsthand on the tour of Severs’ farm near Potomac, Ill. Severs showed off his farm and equipment, and discussed things he does to ensure that the seed that he plants in his soil ends up as quality, healthy food on a customer’s table.

SSGA seeks to make U.S. IP ‘big in Japan’

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The tour through the Aeon Style supermarket in Tokyo showed the Americans several ways U.S. agriculture impacts Japan.

The travelers were part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture trade mission, and they got to see many of their exports or foods that use their exports on display, while shoppers also walked around intending to purchase some of those products.

The showcase included an impressive display of soy foods important to Japan such as natto and tofu, products that often feature identity preserved soybeans from the United States as prime ingredients.

“You might not realize the cultural importance of these foods until you see so many brands and varieties together in the cooler with shoppers poring over them,” said SSGA Manager for Strategic Programs Shane Frederick, who took part in the trade mission June 4-9 in Tokyo and Osaka. “Knowing that some of those products likely had ingredients sourced from SSGA members really underscored the impact our U.S. suppliers have on the industry.”

Indeed, the United States is the No. 1 supplier of food and agricultural products to Japan, a country that must import 60% of its calories. In 2022, Japan – a country with a population of more than 125 million people – imported $14.6 billion worth of food and ag from the U.S.

The U.S. delegation included representatives of several commodity organizations, 11 state departments of ag and 40 agribusinesses.
The U.S. delegation included representatives of several commodity organizations, 11 state departments of ag and 40 agribusinesses.
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“This shows that there is a continuously growing demand for U.S. products in Japan, providing U.S. exporters with a tremendous opportunity to expand their exporting,” said Alexis M. Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

Taylor led the delegation, which included representatives of several commodity organizations, 11 state departments of ag and 40 agribusinesses who, she said, had the opportunity “to showcase the strength of U.S. food and agriculture products. Japanese consumers are especially interested in high-quality, health-oriented products, and I am confident that U.S. businesses can meet and exceed these expectations.”

Besides the Aeon and other tours, Frederick participated in business-to-business meetings in Tokyo and Osaka, matching with a tofu manufacturer, as well as importers with customers in the food manufacturing and school lunch industries. He also met with in-country marketing professionals and USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) officials.

“It was an opportunity to meet people and, hopefully, start some working relationships,” Frederick said. “In some cases, we’ve begun setting up future discussions.”

Frederick’s No. 1 goal was to promote the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and mark, which was launched in December 2021. Fourteen U.S. companies have been qualified for the program and are using the mark. Frederick talked about those companies and other SSGA members who supply high-quality, specialty grains and soybeans. As well, he was able to share the story of farmers who carefully grow identity preserved field crops for food ingredients and other purposes.

“The mark seemed to resonate with the representatives I met with, but there is more work to be done to keep it growing and get U.S. Identity Preserved well-recognized throughout Japan and around the world,” Frederick said.

Frederick also met with USDA international services officials in Japan representing the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and brief them on the High Quality Specialty Grain (HQSG) export certification program, which APHIS announced in April and SSGA administers.

The U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and mark were developed, in part, through a USDA FAS Agricultural Trade Promotion grant. SSGA’s participation in the trade mission is part of the organization’s goal of promoting the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand program, which is also by the Michigan Soybean Committee, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board.

SSGA will be considering other opportunities to promote U.S. Identity Preserved abroad, including future USDA trade missions.

SSGA presents at Asia Soy Excellence and Food Summit

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SSGA presented an update on the supply, sourcing and forecast for U.S. soy and specialty food soybeans during the Asia Soy Excellence & Food Summit 2023 in Thailand.

SB&B partner Todd Sinner presented virtually to the audience in Bangkok on Monday evening, while SSGA Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick joined the event following Sinner’s presentation to answer questions. They were part of a panel on U.S. Soy supply status, value differentiation and benefits with Ohio farmer and United Soybean Board director Bill Bayliss and Soy Nutrition Institute Global CEO Julie Ohmen.

SSGA focused on the importance of forward contracting, early decision making and developing relationships with buyers – all to ensure customers gets the varieties they desire.

The event, organized by U.S. Soybean Export Council and supported by SSGA and others aimed to provide updates on the soybean supply chain, soy food and beverage trends and innovation, soy health and nutrition, as well as consumer attitudes, product promotion and marketing.

SSGA joins first ever USDA Netherlands trade mission

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance is constantly looking for opportunities to promote its members’ companies, expand exports of their high-quality products and familiarize the world with the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand program. So, the opportunity to go to the Netherlands and be part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture trade mission there could not be passed up.

Last week, Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick attended the trade mission in Amsterdam, an experience that included opportunities to engage with Dutch businesses, receive market briefings from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and industry trade experts and participate in site visits, including the largest seaport in Europe, the Port of Rotterdam.

The U.S. delegation was led by USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor and included representatives from 41 agribusinesses and farm organizations and 10 state departments of agriculture looking to expand economic partnerships between the United States and the Netherlands and markets throughout Scandinavia. The trip marked the USDA’s first-ever agribusiness trade mission to the Netherlands.

Frederick participated in the business-to-business meetings and sat down with commodity brokers, food and food ingredient importers and port logistics service representatives. He also made connections with USDA FAS staff, state and regional trade group officials, and ag department representatives from California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, among others; networked with agribusinesses from throughout the United States; and was part of roundtable discussion with ag cooperator and advocacy groups led by Under Secretary Taylor.

“This was an opportunity to go to the Netherlands and the European Union, learn about their markets and tell our own story about identity preserved and specialty field crops available in the United States, as well as the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark program,” Frederick said. “It was an opportunity to talk about the work SSGA and its members are doing, see how those efforts fits in to U.S. trade strategy and compare notes with other groups and companies.”

The Netherlands is the United States’ ninth-largest export market for agriculture and also the world’s second-largest ag exporter after the United States. In 2022, combined total agricultural and related exports to the Netherlands and the region topped $4.5 billion.

Consumer trends there include a growing interest in what they’re eating and where that food comes from and a willingness and ability to pay for healthy and nutritious foods. Their younger populations are open-minded about new concepts, products and flavors, and there’s a strong market for plant-based and sustainably certified products.

Frederick will be participating in the USDA’s trade mission to Japan this June. Feel free to contact him for more information.

More news:

https://brownfieldagnews.com/news/usda-trade-mission-to-the-netherlands/

NCI to host soybean courses

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The Northern Crop Institute will host two soybean courses this summer. Industry members and processors of soy foods, foreign and domestic, are encouraged to attend either course in Fargo, N.D. SSGA members are encouraged to invite their customers or potential customers.

Follow the links below for more information on the courses and to register.

The Food-Grade Soybean Procurement focuses on sourcing and purchasing high quality, identity preserved soybeans for food products. The course will be held June 19-23. Learn more here.

INTSOY (Introduction to Soybean) course will be held Aug. 7-11. This course provides an overview of many aspects of the soy industry, including new ideas for soy-based foods, soy as a supplement to fortify foods, soy as animal nutrition and an overview of U.S. soy production. Learn more at this link.

Please email brian.sorenson@ndsu.edu with questions on the courses.

SSGA will hold Fork to Farm Day events at the end of these courses; in Illinois in conjunction with the Illinois Soybean Association on June 26 and in Wisconsin with the support of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board on Aug. 12.

Transportation Go! connects supply chain through collaboration, innovative thinking

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A common theme occurred at the 2023 Transportation Go! conference: Ag logistics and transportation are complex and ever-evolving, and finding solutions to the problems facing the industry require strong relationships, collaboration and out-of-the-box thinking.

Led by the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA), more than 120 of the sharpest minds in the logistics and transportation industry descended on Omaha, Nebraska, on March 15-16 to work through some of those issues facing the movement of agriculture out of the Upper Midwest.

“When you have the type of influencers that you had at this conference, such as Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Commissioner Max Vekich, this opportunity to let them know what is happening in the real world of logistics or exporting agricultural goods from the U.S. is so important,” said Darwin Rader of Zeeland Farm Services, SSGA vice chair and former chair of our competitive shipping action team. “It can’t be overstated as far as how influential all this information can be.”

Vekich addressed the crowd on Day 2 of Transportation Go! Of note, he discussed last summer’s passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) – a bill and now-law strongly supported by SSGA – and changes within the FMC, including the charge-complaint mechanism, which he encouraged attendees to file if they feel action is needed.

“We want to make it so we’re a real regulatory agency,” said Vekich, a former longshoreman and Washington state legislator. “We’re going to stick up for the little guy. We’re not going to stand on the sideline; we’re going to get into the game and issue yellow cards, red cards, whatever it takes. … As shippers, you deserve a fair shot.”

While OSRA already has had a positive impact on U.S. exporters, the FMC is currently in the rulemaking process for enforcement of OSRA policy.

Attendees heard a wide range of presentations throughout the two-day conference, including current economic and supply chain trends and updates on trucking, rail and ocean shipping.

SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg highlighted the importance of the conference, and how it sparks action for attendees afterward.

“The transportation system isn’t really a system,” Wenberg said. “So we have to actively ask these transportation and logistics professionals to work together. Transportation is not seamless. As we’ve heard at this conference, there are obstacles in every transaction, sometimes insurmountable, but that there is relief on the way with the Federal Maritime Commission’s upcoming demurrage rule, which is going to provide relief we’ve sought for a long time.”

Other highlights:

David Briggs of Scoular addressed attendees about economics and the supply chain. He gave an update on the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, stating that they have recovered from the 2021 backlog, to having no ships in the queue as of March 2023.

Briggs highlighted two factors for the audience: Consumer spending during the pandemic and after has shifted, impacting how ocean carriers move freight; the West Coast ports are important to the global economy.

“If there is a problem with labor on the West Coast, it’ll affect everyone in the world,” he said.

Luisa Fernandez-Willey of the Association of American Railroads discussed the challenges for the rail system in the U.S., noting that industrial products drive manufacturing, and when there is a decline in industrial products, ultimately there is a decline in manufacturing, which impacts the rail system.

“Now that the economy has recovered, the demand for gasoline and petroleum products has increased,” she said.

She too pointed to consumer behavior, which drives intermodal shipping. Fernandez-Willey said during the pandemic, people bought items of comfort, which shifted the types of production of goods that were being shipped.

“There’s a very strong relationship between the economy and goods,” she said. “When the economy is doing well, rail is strong.”

While carloads of grain are down 9.7% from last year, she said, those are expected to rise by year’s end.

Brenda Snyder of HRG Search talked to attendees about recruiting, training and retaining shipping and logistics employees, which she said are some of the most sought after in the industry. Snyder said that by the time potential employees reach the university level, it is often too late to attract them to the industry.

“How do we get people at these kinds of events?” she said in reference to Transportation Go! “My guess is you all have kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. Bring them with. Maybe they’d have an interest in this. You’re talking trains, planes, ships, trucks. Think about the coolness about what you have to do to get stuff all over the place. You have the cool stuff.”

Agricultural logistics, Snyder said, are mission-driven and involve not only solving big, mammoth, complex problems, but also feeding humans. “If you can’t market talent out of that, get a new marketing agency.”

John Wolfe of the Northwest Seaport Alliance reported that, with declining demand and reduced costs in imports, along with elevated inventories, that carriers are refocusing on exports. “Balanced trade is important,” he said, “so we’re working on solutions to help exporters get access to equipment.”

Partnerships are key, and the Northwest Seaport Alliance works with USDA and inland railyards to help containers reach the middle of America.

Wolfe also gave an update about the expansion happening in the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. Wolfe dispelled the narrative that the West Coast doesn’t have room for growth. He pointed to the expansion of 20-foot equivalent (TEU) container capacity, and the increase in port depth to 57 feet of water in the ports.

Shane Kinne of Coalition to Protect the Missouri River discussed the untapped potential of the Missouri River in moving product down to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. More than 5.5 million tons of cargo move on the Missouri, and $278 million in infrastructure funds are earmarked for development on the United States’ longest river.

“It’s been an often-overlooked waterway over several decades,” Kinne said. “But we’re starting to see opportunities pay off.”

Peter Hirthe of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation noted that, as a trade lane, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway is underutilized, only running about 50% capacity. Considering the region surrounding that area is the third-largest economy in the world, “there’s room to grow.”

“Canada uses it more but doesn’t have the PNW (U.S. Pacific-Northwest ports) or the river system,” he said. “But we can improve the ratio of U.S. exports.”

U.S. grain exports on the system were up 4.3% last year, and there have been several developments, with more on the way, including new or expanded infrastructure and facility developments at Duluth-Superior (Minn.-Wis.), Milwaukee (Wis.), Monroe (Mich.) and Oswego (N.Y.), as well as upcoming opportunities at Cleveland (Ohio), Burns Harbor (Ind.) and Green Bay (Wis.).

Alex Leslie of the American Transportation Research Institute discussed the challenges facing the trucking industry, including the aging driver demographic. Most are in the 45- to 64-year-old range. “This is a challenge for a couple reasons,” he said. “One, we have retiring drivers and we need to fill those gaps. Two, we need young people to learn and grow in this industry.”

Wage increases have helped, but lifestyle, including work-life balance remains an issue.

Availability of truck parking is also a top concern, he said.

Elaine Trevino of the U.S. Department of Transportation updated on the Supply Chain Task Force and discussed DOT initiatives for tracking and tracing, including the Ocean Shipping Container Availability Report (OSCAR) and a voluntary forecasting tool called Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW).

“We see a need for improved transparency/accountability across all supply chains,” she said. “In the mid-term, we seek to improve and institutionalize data sharing. This industry is very opaque and lacks data.”

Competing and succeeding in the international marketplace, she said, requires being prepared to deal with uncertainty and knowing potential risks and opportunities.

Maria Bodnar of Ocean Network Express (ONE), discussed modernization and improvement to the shipping line, including new vessels, green initiatives and energy efficiencies, along with acquisition of terminals at various ports, putting ONE in control of some entire supply chains.

“We’re focused on smooth operations within the supply chain,” she said. “Communication is critical. We want to recover ocean shipping integrity. … We can be a good partner of the ag community.”

Brittany Batz of Cobblefield LLC served as Transportation Go’s moderator. She is an independent consultant focused on facilitating digitization and process improvement in the agriculture industry. Her company helps others drive operational efficiencies and enhance productivity through the implementation of digital solutions.

Transportation Go! was sponsored at the Show level by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, along with the state’s corn, soybean, wheat and ethanol boards.

Platinum sponsors included the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, South Dakota Soybean Checkoff, Illinois Soybean Association, North Dakota Soybean Council, Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, North Dakota Corn Council, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and Norseman Protective Solutions.

Gold sponsors included the Ohio Soybean Council and Scoular. Other sponsors included Buffers USA, Hang Tung Resources and Ray-Mont Logistics.