A retired local farm bureau executive has been tapped for a new position.
The Journal Courier reports that former Pike-Scott Farm Bureau Executive Director Blake Roderick has been elected chairman of the Mid-America Port Commission.
The commission is the largest port district on the upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. It covers a three-state, 26-county region in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, and includes 11 west-central Illinois counties.
The commission was formed to advocate for improving freight transportation infrastructure to enable regional businesses to have access to the most cost-effective and competitive shipping methods including truck, rail and barge.
Roderick, who lives in Pittsfield, retired from the Pike-Scott Farm Bureau after four decades of service in May 2022. He currently serves on the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port District, and is a former member of the executive committee of the National Waterways Conference.