The Importance of Multi-State Agriculture Highway Corridors
Tuesday, May 25 – Learn about the role of Multi-State Agriculture Highway Corridors in efficiently moving domestic agricultural products and supporting continued market competitiveness by providing global and national connections to the supply chain.
News Release
Speakers

Adam Sparger
Director, Transportation Services Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service
Adam Sparger is the Director of the Transportation Services Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. As Director, Adam leads an adept team of economists that inform, represent, and assist agricultural shippers and government policymakers on multimodal issues related to trucks, rail, barges, containers, and ocean carriers. His team serves as USDA’s expert source for economic analysis on agricultural transportation from farm to market. Adam has coordinated the launch and expansion of the division’s award-winning open data visualization platform, AgTransport, and the release of numerous multimodal transportation research publications. Prior to being Director, he spent a decade as an economist in the division analyzing transportation issues and producing many of USDA’s transportation market reports.

Ken Eriksen
Senior Vice President, Head of Client Advisory & Development, Energy & Transportation, and Policy, IHS Markit
Ken Eriksen is the head of IHS Markit’s Agribusiness, Client Advisory and Development, Energy and Transportation, and Policy groups. In this capacity, he directs efforts in client advisory and development, risk management, consulting and events. Since joining the company in 2001, Ken has led the company’s Transportation, Industrials and Energy Services group and was a co-leader of the IHS Markit Agribusiness Consulting group. Ken regularly speaks on commodity, transportation and infrastructure issues and developments and is an expert witness in the area of transportation, logistics and supply-chain matters. Previously, Ken worked for USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service as an agricultural statistician, where he conducted national surveys and set national estimates in agriculture. He also worked for the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service on its transportation and marketing program, conducting research and analysis on domestic and international transportation issues.

Tom Blair
St. Louis District Engineer, Missouri Department of Transportation
MoDOT District Engineer Tom Blair has the honor and humbling task of leading more than 700 dedicated team members in taking care of and operating the state transportation system in the St. Louis region. The district includes the City of St. Louis, St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties, making it part of the 7th largest transportation system in the nation. His distinguished 28-year tenure at MoDOT has uniquely qualified him to blend best practices from past projects while planning for future transportation needs. Tom’s expertise in regional mobility was critical to the success of projects such as the rebuilding of the award-winning I-64 project. He is results-driven and oversees the district’s $250 million investment in the region and about 150 projects annually. This includes approximately $10 million in snow removal and mowing and the operation of a 24/7 transportation management center and emergency response.