Bloomington, Ill – January 11, 2023 – The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) applauds the U.S. Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center and the Navigation and Civil Works Decision Support Center for approving the Northern Grain Belt Ports on the Upper Mississippi River between Wisconsin and Minnesota on December 8, 2022.
The federal approval allows the ports to be listed and ranked on the annual U.S. Leading Ports list as it is a solid top 100 U.S. port, similar in size to the port of Miami based on freight tonnage.
“The addition of the Northern Grain Belt Ports to the Corn Belt Ports family creates and bolsters an important national identity for America’s largest grain producing and exporting region,” said Todd Main, Director of Market Development for ISA. “We welcome them to our larger team and value their role in making our products more competitive in the global marketplace.”
The designation marks the first time in history Wisconsin ports on the Upper Mississippi River are federally listed and ranked, making the region more competitive for federal government, state government, and non-profit organization investment.
“The Corn Belt Ports are an essential part of the national and global supply chains, attracting over $1.25 billion in additional transportation and natural infrastructure investment since 2021 from federal and state government organizations, and non-profit organizations,” said Main. “We expect the Northern Grain Belt Ports will see increased investment in their region comparable to growth and expansion the federal approval of the Illinois waterway ports has provided.”
This also completes the grassroots effort that started in 2019 to federally recognize the ports and terminals in America’s most significant grain-producing and exporting region. That year, the Corn Belt Ports, located above Locks and Dam No. 26 at Alton, Illinois, collectively handled 96 million tons of cargo on the Upper Mississippi River and the Illinois Waterway System.
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level, through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org and www.ilsoygrowers.com.
