Corn belt initiative focuses on Winona port, four other ports in MN and WI

(MNN)-The newly formed Northern Corn Belt Ports initiative expands the organization by adding five key Mississippi River ports. Chris Smith says it builds on work begun in 2022 in Minnesota and Wisconsin

“We want to create a governance structure to identify priorities for the region, have a regional identity, and use that to increase opportunities for multimodal investment,” says director of operations Chris Smith, who notes the initiative builds on work begun in 2022 in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The newly formed Northern Corn Belt Ports initiative includes 11 Mississippi River counties and five ports: Red Wing, Wabasha and Winona in Minnesota, along with La Crosse and Prairie du Chien in Wisconsin. The organization will be headquartered at the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce.

Smith says 60% of products moved on the waterways are ag commodities, so pooling resources to draw more infrastructure investment is a win for the region’s farmers.