Ag Groups Push for Senate Shipping Legislation

Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, and John Thune, R-SD, are in the final stages of releasing the Senate version of a bill to improve port conditions for agricultural exports. The House version passed in December, on a vote of 364-60, with strong support from the ag sector.

More than 100 farm groups, cooperatives and ag companies are urging Senators to finish work on the measure. “The transportation crisis for U.S. agriculture products has become increasingly dire,” the organizations say in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY.

“Many agriculture products produced in the U.S. experience significant competition from other countries. If we cannot deliver our products dependably, our foreign customers will find alternatives to our exports.”

The ag groups say the Senate bill should address the responsibility of ocean carriers to accept containers filled with farm commodity exports instead of returning empty carriers, something the House bill would do as well.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Opening new capacity and eliminating barriers to return shipping for ag products would be very helpful for agricultural exports. Recent logjams at key ports, especially the west coast, have caused havoc for importers of all types in the U.S. Agriculture has been particularly hard hit by the refusal of many shippers to carry ag products on return voyages. Shippers claim it is more profitable for them to return empty by avoiding reloading delays. It needs to be addressed and it appears this legislation will help resolve the problem. Get it passed, fix the problem, ship those ag products and put more income back into farmer’s/rancher’s wallets so they can purchase more trucks from CAD members!