Polaris Analytics and Consulting

10/06/2026

Ken Eriksen will be at Starved Rock next week for the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative Annual Meeting, October 13–14 in Oglesby.

On Wednesday, October 14, at 10:10 a.m., he shares the stage with Todd Main of the Illinois Soybean Association in Building Economic Resilience Along the Illinois River.

Todd Main: Illinois Soy’s 2050 Transportation Vision, and what future crop volumes mean for the network.

Ken Eriksen: Illinois River Freight & Economic Outlook — using data to drive better decisions for shippers, ports, and river towns.

If you move grain, run a terminal, or plan infrastructure on the Illinois Waterway, this is the room.

Register here: https://illinoisrivercities.org/2026-annual-meeting-registration/



Illinois Soybean Association
Polaris Analytics and Consulting

10/05/2026

Our Managing Member, Ken Eriksen, will speak at Export Exchange in Seattle, October 15–17.

Friday, October 16, at 3:30 p.m. Pacific: Navigating Global Freight and Shipping Dynamics. The session is for buyers comparing origins and for U.S. exporters and farmers who need a clear view of whether the system can fulfill their needs.

Ken will be there for the full conference and is glad to meet. Register: https://reg.eventmobi.com/export-exchange-2026

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council

09/23/2026

Farming for data — land, energy, output.

Ken Eriksen’s new Horizons column in High Plains Journal is up. A data center is not a grain bin with better Wi-Fi, and it is not a factory that hires the county. It is a plant that eats land, steel, electrons, and often the same water that grows the crop.

If an option letter hits the kitchen table, the useful gap is a one-page checklist and a lawyer who does water and ag real estate — not the first paper that looks like a sale.

Thank you Dr. Roger McEowen at Washburn University and Chad Barrett at Data Center Map for your input and participation in the column.

Read it here: https://hpj.com/2026/09/18/farming-for-data-land-energy-output/



Ken Eriksen

Data centers target High Plains farmland, raising questions about land, power, water rights, infrastructure costs and rural development.

09/21/2026

Horizons is in this week’s The Waterways Journal. Print is out today.

The 2024 Corps Fact Card is public. The detailed cargo files the industry actually uses are not. Vessel operators file in 30 days. The public scoreboard has been closer to two years late.

That is not a paperwork gripe. It is how lock chambers, berths, and credit committees get justified.

Delayed data and changes to monthly indicators leave ports, carriers and policymakers working with incomplete waterborne commerce statistics.

09/08/2026

Canada’s new counter-tariffs took effect overnight. Washington is also threatening to keep Canadian jets out of the U.S. market unless they are built here.

🇺🇸 and 🇨🇦

That is why Ken Eriksen's latest Horizons column in Great Lakes Seaway Review is worth a look this morning. The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway still binds the two economies. Dry cargo is softer. Fertilizer has held up. New grain and container capacity is coming at Burns Harbor.

📣The more the two countries retaliate, the more expensive it becomes to use the waterway both already built. Harmony is not a slogan here. It is a cost question.

“Graces on the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway: Harmony in a Tense World.”

https://seawayreview.com/digital-editions/?BookCode=20260901&PageLabel=12&Sgt=11&Lang=enu

06/14/2026

🇺🇸

12/30/2025

🌊 Big River News! 🌊

The Big River Coalition just released a game-changing study on the Mississippi River Ship Channel—our nation's vital trade artery!

Did you know?
⚓$226.5 BILLION in annual trade (that's over $620 million a day!)
⚓Moves more cargo than any other U.S. waterway—nearly double the next waterway!
⚓But closures or draft restrictions could cost millions in lost jobs and higher prices.

"This report shows why we must protect and invest in the MRSC," says Sean Duffy, BRC Executive Director.

funded this important work! "It highlights opportunities for growth and resilience," says Julia Fisher-Cormier, Deputy Director.

Check out the full report & summary here: https://pacanalytic.com/mrsc

What does the Mighty Mississippi River mean to your community or business? Share below! 👇

12/22/2025

My new Horizons column is out in High Plains Journal! 🌾 "Glut of grain dominates crop story."

Key takeaways from the 2025-26 crop year:
✅Record U.S. production: 23.6 billion bushels (+8%), corn up 12% to 16.7B bu 🌽
✅Strong domestic demand from biofuels (ethanol & renewable diesel) and feed 🚀
✅Exports near record ~6B bu, but global surplus and competition keep prices soft 📉
✅Margins tightening with higher costs—farmers, time to lean on risk management tools!

⁉High Plains growers, your resilience is inspiring. What's your outlook for 2026 planting?

Full article here: https://hpj.com/2025/12/19/glut-of-grain-dominates-crop-story/

Tag a fellow farmer or share your thoughts below! 👇

12/22/2025

📣Just published in The Waterways Journal: My new column exploring America's incredible towboat fleet! 🚢

⁉️Did you know there are over 3,750 towboats keeping freight moving on the Mississippi River System? They're diverse in size, age (average 36 years—oldest from 1926!), and power, pushing everything from tiny harbor shifts to massive 56-barge tows that haul more than a Panamax ship.

These unsung heroes power U.S. trade on the Mississippi and beyond. Check out the full story and some fascinating stats on operators like Kirby and Ingram.

Link: https://www.waterwaysjournal.net/2025/12/19/taking-a-look-at-americas-diverse-towboat-fleet/

What’s your favorite fact about river transport? Share below! 🌊⚓



Analytics and Consulting

https://pacanalytic.com

11/24/2025

📣My latest 🧭Horizons column just dropped in Great Lakes Seaway Review⛴️!

⚓️The locks close soon for the season, but the real chill💨this winter is coming from 🇺🇸 Washington & 🇨🇦 Ottawa:
🔸record-long government shutdown,
🔸sky-high tariffs, and
🔸trade talks on ice.

Grain exports are hanging in there, but everyone’s holding their breath for 2026. Will there be a policy thaw❄️☀️?

Read it here ➡️ https://seawayreview.com/digital-editions/?BookCode=20251101&PageLabel=38&Sgt=11&Lang=enu



Polaris Analytics and Consulting