MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, US — Daniel B. Maffei, chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, and Robert E. Primus, vice chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, will speak at Transportation Go!, a conference focused on soybean and grain transportation and trade issues planned March 3-4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.

Maffei has been invited to discuss FMC’s efforts to find solutions to the global container shipping crisis and to protect the ability of US 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 (SSGA), 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 US President Joe Biden in 2021. He was first nominated to serve on the commission in 2016 by President Barack Obama and again in 2019 by President Donald Trump.

Primus was named vice chairman of the STB in February 2021, shortly after being confirmed by the US Senate as a board member in January 2021.

“Making a difference in agriculture means being vocal to build a solution,” said Bruce Abbe, strategic adviser for trade and transportation at the SSGA. “We are grateful that Chairman Maffei and Vice Chairman 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.

Besides presentations from Maffei and Primus, Transportation Go! will include discussions on market development and an outlook panel featuring commodity organization leaders from the US Grains Council, US Wheat Associates and the US Soybean Export Council.

Register at transportationgo.com. Early bird pricing is available through Feb. 8. Special hotel rates are also available through Feb. 11.