Panel calls for cross-border investment, labor stability and digital upgrades to shore up Pacific Northwest farm-to-market supply chains

Ken Day, director of government and public affairs for JR Simplot Company, convened a multi-stakeholder panel to discuss how transportation and supply chains move agricultural products from farms to international markets. Tara Sawyer, Alberta
Minister of Agriculture, said transportation and supply chains are "a linchpin in our food system" and urged sustained investment to keep goods moving.

The panel emphasized the regionwide scale of trade and the stakes for producers. "In 2025, we exported C$8,700,000,000 in ag products to the United States," Sawyer said, adding that Alberta shipped nearly 400,000 head of live cattle and about C$3 billion in beef to U.S. processors last year. Doug Roxburgh, chair of Alberta Beef Producers, said the beef sector contributes "more than $4,000,000,000 to GDP and supports over 55,000 jobs," and described how feed, animals and boxed beef cross the border multiple times across the supply chain.

Jennifer Riddle, communications and marketing manager for Tidewater, highlighted the role of waterways and terminal capacity in providing resilient, energy-efficient freight. "We're the cheapest. And guess what? We're the most energy efficient," she said, noting that a single barge can replace dozens of truck shipments and that tow configurations increase that efficiency. Riddle warned that changes to river infrastructure would have operational consequences for river terminals and irrigation users.

Mathieu Grenier, representing Transport Canada virtually, said the government is focusing on five priority areas: infrastructure investment, port governance and capacity, labor stability, regulatory streamlining, and digital trade and visibility. He noted a C$5,000,000,000 trade diversification corridor initiative for which Transport Canada is reviewing proposals and said improved data-sharing and tabletop simulations are being used to prepare for disruptions.

Panelists identified several practical levers: prioritize investment in existing locks, terminals and key border crossings; harmonize cross-border trucking rules and permits; treat agriculture as an essential service in key routing and contingency planning to reduce the impact of labor disruptions; and expand digital pre-clearance and supply-chain visibility for live-animal movements and bulk grain shipments. Speakers pointed to past examples where labor disputes and terminal instability reshaped routing and capacity for years.

The session closed with a call for sustained binational coordination to protect export markets in Asia and the U.S., and with the reminder that improved coordination and modest operational changes can help producers "get product where it needs to go." The panel adjourned for lunch.