What a great trip in November to the Eastern Shore and Tidewater. Every tour stop and presenter was very good. From pork packing facility to oyster hatchery and cotton to luxury coaches…quite a diverse offering.
Having some past experience in logistics, I was so impressed with all that is going on at the Port of Virginia. It’s really difficult to grasp how much cargo is moving in and out of Virginia and how we take for granted how much of our consumer goods come through this port. Russell Held explained the organization and how the shipping, rail and trucking all play a part in moving all that stuff to and from. The Port of Virginia seems to be set up to be one of the largest on the east coast. I have, over the years, passed a sign on I-66 saying Inland Port…wondering “what is that?” – port is not a word you hear much in Front Royal. Now I know.
Ray Keating, Perdue Agribusiness, showed us around their operation, including their control center. During the time of year when we visited, they were bringing a lot of soybeans to the port. They unload approximately 150 railcars each day. The majority of these beans are loaded onto ships bound for China. Truly amazing to see the scale of a Panamax ship.
Great trip to Chesapeake/Portsmouth to see and hear about this operation. Many thanks to Russell and Ray.
Quick tip for Class IV – always watch the weather when traveling on the Eastern Shore
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