Melvin Price Locks & Dam Among Stops On IDOA's Second Illinois Grain Tour In 2025

IDOA’s 2025 grain tour connects Illinois farmers with buyers from 6 countries.

Lori Harlan - State of Illinois

Sep 26, 2025 8:00 AM Save

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ALTON – The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is preparing to host its second Illinois grain tour of 2025, welcoming international buyers from six Middle Eastern and Asian countries (China, Vietnam, Egypt, Jordan, Singapore and the island of Mauritius) as part of a four-day event.

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“Thanks to Trump’s reckless economic policies, Illinois’ $26.4 billion agriculture industry is being pummeled by tariff-driven trade disruptions, costing farmers income and jeopardizing jobs across rural communities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As we find ways to address the impact of these disastrous economic policies, I commend IDOA for hosting a second grain tour to showcase our leading agriculture industry while attracting international buyers.”

Last month, buyers from Latin American countries took a similar tour. The groups were split for the first time because of the overwhelming success of the program and the number of people interested in participating.

The tour, which will run September 29 through October 2, is intended to develop relationships that will lead to an increase in export sales of Illinois agricultural products.

“The Illinois Grain Tour creates a valuable opportunity for international visitors to engage directly with Illinois farmers, processors, and agribusiness leaders,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. “Nearly half of our grain production—worth billions of dollars annually—is exported to global markets. With the daily instability created by changing federal tariffs, it is imperative for Illinois to continue fostering strong, mutually beneficial relationships with international buyers in order to sustain and grow our agricultural economy.”

While sales figures from the two 2025 grain tours will not be available for some time, the 2024 tour had projected sales of $159 million.

The group will tour:

Melvin Price Locks & Dam

Melvin Price Locks & Dam is located on the Upper Mississippi River. Designed and constructed by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, it is one of the most technologically advanced locks and dams on the Mississippi River. Approximately 175 million tons of freight are moved through the river each year.

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Perten Instruments

For 60 years, Perten Instruments has empowered food market players with internationally recognized, easy-to-use, fast, and accurate testing solutions, improving quality, efficiency, and profitability. Perten’s reliable instruments analyze the quality of grain/oilseeds, feed, dairy, and processed foods, covering moisture, protein, fat, Falling Number, ingredient performance, and amino acids.

RTS Farm

Tim Seifert and family operate a 2,300-acre farm with corn and soybeans on the University of Illinois research farm. Tim is a past District 9 Director of the Illinois Soybean Association and District 10 Director of the Illinois Corn Marketing Board as well as past board member of the National Corn Growers Association.

Clarkson Grain

Clarkson Grain Company, Inc. is an Illinois-based grain, oilseed, and ingredient supplier to the food manufacturing and animal feed industries. They specialize in the growing, storage, and processing of Identity-Preserved, Non-GMO, and organic corn, soybeans, and soy ingredients. Clarkson owns and operates its own commercial storage, cleaning, and handling facilities as well as an organic soy processing facility, barge station, and rail sidings.

GSI

GSI is the world’s largest manufacturer of steel farm bins, commercial storage grain bins and grain silos. In addition, they offer the most technologically advanced grain dryers in the industry and a large selection of material handling systems. They also have pig and poultry feeding/ventilation equipment.

Illinois Soybean Association

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) is a statewide organization that strives to enable Illinois soybean producers to be the most knowledgeable and profitable producers around the world. ISA represents 43,000 farmers in Illinois, and the Association is funded by the Illinois Soybean Check-off Program.

Marquis Energy

Marquis Energy began as a 100-million-gallon Fagen-ICM ethanol facility and is the largest dry-mill ethanol plant in the United States. Marquis Energy is strategically positioned for global distribution of ethanol and DDGS via direct access to the Illinois River, a Class I railroad, and numerous interstate highways.

Delong Co.

Delong Co. is an industry leader in container exports and offers an extensive commercial grain and food grade program. The commercial grain business buys, stores, and sells corn, soybeans, and wheat from local farmers and ships these grains to various domestic millers and livestock feeders across the United States and the world.

Chicago Board of Trade/MANNS Traders Group

The Chicago Board of Trade is one of the world’s oldest futures and options exchange. In 2007, CBOT merged with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to form the CME Group. The CBOT focuses on agricultural commodities and interest rate products. The MANNS Traders Group is a brokerage and price risk management team. Their mission is to offer clients access to a wealth of resources and advise of strategies using the most practical market tools and protective strategies.

All participants of the Illinois Grain Tour are required to pay their own airfare as well as a participation fee prior to joining the tour.

IDOA began hosting grain tours in 1996, including a virtual tour conducted during COVID.