This fall, Farm Journal’s Chip Flory and Michelle Rook traveled to a port in Washington and another in Louisiana. Here's what they learned about two very different ports with two very important jobs.
Growing demand for biofuels made from soybean oil and expanding crushing capacity means there's going to be a lot more meal available for export. The Port of Grays Harbor in Washington, which primarily focuses on soybean meal brought in via rail from crush facilities in the northwest Corn Belt, has built a new loadout facility among other investments.
Dredging the Mississippi River to a depth of 50' allows vessels to carry 2.9 million bushels of soybeans versus 2.4 million bushels, which helps lower freight rates and adds to the value of the soybeans exported.
Shipping more than 100 million tons of grain every year, the Port of South Louisiana exports 60% of the nation's grain to more than 90 countries and handles product from 31 states.
The projects are focused on strengthening supply chain reliability, creating workforce development opportunities, speeding up the movement of goods, and improving the safety, reliability and resilience of ports.
