AUDIO: Scott Sigman, Illinois Soybean Association
Where do agricultural products upon leaving Iowa farms? Also, how do they get there?
Today?s questions about profitability are focused on transportation, particularly containerized shipping.
This method of shipping allows products to be placed in a 20- or 40-foot long container. The size of the ships hauling containers have become massive, and the cost of long distance shipping has dropped significantly.
It is now possible to ship soybeans, for example, to China in a container. Refrigerated containers can accommodate beef, pork and high-value fruit and vegetables.
This trade can go any direction. As we see by our imbalance of trade, more products enter the United States versus leave the country. However, the possibilities of identity preserved products, sold for a premium in a foreign market, in a volume the size of a truckload is becoming more attractive.
The Soy Transportation Coalition (STC) offered a harbor cruise and orientation to the prospects of modern ocean shipping and insight into the challenges of operating a harbor facility during Commodity Classic 2018. I spoke with Scott Sigman, transportation and infrastructure lead for the Illinois Soybean Association, while on the cruise.
AUDIO: Profit Matters 3-20-18
