Photo courtesy of Bethany Baratta, Iowa Soybean Association
Soybean farmer leaders were in Milwaukee on March 31st in order to present a ceremonial check in the amount of $200,000 for the Phase II expansion of the Agriculture Maritime Export Facility at Port Milwaukee. The facility, owned and operated by The DeLong Company, originally became operational in 2023. The Phase II expansion, which will enhance the capacity to export U.S. soybeans and soybean meal, was completed on April 2nd, 2026.
In presenting the ceremonial check to officials with The DeLong Company, Raylen Phelon, a farmer from Melvern, Kansas, and chairman of the Soy Transportation Coalition and commissioner on the Kansas Soybean Commission, explained, “In order for U.S. soybean farmers to be successful in the international marketplace, we not only require abundant supply and robust demand. We also require a transportation infrastructure that can connect what soybean farmers grow with our customers throughout the world. The DeLong Company’s Agriculture Maritime Export Facility at Port Milwaukee is excellent example of an investment that will help farmers remain competitive.”
In addition to officials from the Soy Transportation Coalition and The DeLong Company, ceremony attendees included representatives from Port Milwaukee, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, the U.S. Maritime Administration, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Andy Bensend, a soybean farmer from Dallas, Wisconsin, and director on the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, the Soy Transportation Coalition, and the United Soybean Board, explained during the ceremony, “Investments like The DeLong Company’s Agriculture Maritime Export Facility at Port Milwaukee allow farmers in Wisconsin and throughout the region to benefit from waterborne transportation, which is the most economical and environmentally sustainable mode. The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board and the Soy Transportation Coalition are proud to join in on this important expansion.”
The DeLong Co., Inc is the largest U.S. exporter of containerized agricultural products. Learn more at delongcompany.com.
Source: Soy Transportation Coalition
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