Putnam County Rotary Club to host Illinois River ports speaker for Ag Night on March 27

The Putnam County Rotary Club will host Ag Night 2025 at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Putnam County High School in Granville.

Continuing a tradition dating back five decades, Putnam County Rotary hosts the event in conjunction with National Agriculture Week to honor local farmers and those whose support of agriculture strengthens the local and regional economy and provides food to the population.

This year’s featured speaker will be Robert Sinkler, sharing his perspective on the importance of the Illinois River ports in the marketing of locally harvested corn and soybeans. The Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, a consortium of five port districts, including 10 counties along the Illinois River, was created in 2023 under the leadership of Sinkler, dedicated to the protection and preservation of the river for commerce and recreation. That Commission is one of four Midwest ports, collectively referred to as the Corn Belt Ports of which Sinkler now serves as executive coordinating director.

With federal recognition, the Commission has helped attract and fund projects to refurbish and modernize aging locks and dams, and to bring new river-dependent commercial infrastructure projects to the waterways. Among Corn Belt’s greatest projects will be a federally funded $38.6 million new 700-foot loading dock, conveyor system and storage facility at the Hennepin Barge Terminal, primarily for soybean products.

The speaker’s background includes past leadership service in numerous government and Army Corps of Engineers positions, as well as executive positions with biotech leader Allonnia, technology leader Intrexon and water resources company Dawson & Associates.

The Illinois River plays an important role in corn and soybean markets, facilitating downstream and export sales. The Illinois Waterway Ports alone handle more than 14 million tons of freight annually from the Illinois River Watershed which includes nearly half of the state’s agricultural land and some 90% of the state’s population.

For reservations email PutnamCountyRotary@gmail.com by March 20. Cost includes dinner and dessert for $18 a person or $162 for a table of 10.