Tom Slunecka, CEO of the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (MSR&PC), joined other agricultural leaders as a panelist during the virtual Homefield Advantage Heartland Conference.

Slunecka spoke alongside officials from the Soy Transportation Coalition and U.S. Grains Council on The Road to Better Infrastructure & Increased Ag Profitability Panel Discussion. As other countries have increased investment in their transportation systems, what was once a competitive advantage for U.S. ag producers is no longer the case. In a global economy, it’s important to recognize the competition is not among states, but across the world. This session focused on how America’s Heartland can leverage technology and transportation investments to drive down the cost of transporting ag products to regain an economic advantage.

“It was a great opportunity to serve as a panelist discussion at the HomeField Advantage Heartland Conference Program last week on leveraging ag technology and transportation investments in order to stay economically competitive compared to other countries,” said Slunecka, who’s also CEO of Ag Management Solutions, which oversees both MSR&PC and the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association.

In 2020, AMS hosted the inaugural Northern Commodity Transportation Conference to address same issues. In 2022, AMS plans to host another regional ag transportation forum with the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance. More details will be announced in the coming months.

“Transportation is a critical issue,” Slunecka said, “and it’s important the industry comes together as we did on this panel.”