Shippers 2026 Annual Review & Outlook
Executive Commentary
“ The US must stop inflicting wounds on our own supply chain to retain and grow domestic and foreign demand for our products.”
Peter Friedmann
“ A strong foundation is essential, as every link in the supply chain plays a critical role in enabling performance and adaptability.”
Darryl Cline
“ In 2026, US cotton can succeed if policy, infrastructure and transparency improve alongside price and quality.”
Michael Symonanis
Agriculture Transportation Coalition
Peter Friedmann
Executive Director www. agtrans. org
Tariffs and lost soybean sales grab the headlines, but that’ s not the whole picture, not even close. There are huge challenges created by outside forces that US agriculture and forest products exporters can’ t do much about.
For example, the many facets of the US-China trade“ relationship” are felt most acutely by AgTC members, as China is the largest customer of our nation’ s agriculture and forest products. Similarly, we cannot stop Brazil from converting hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforest into farmland, nor China from building global infrastructure, including ports in Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Africa, to enhance its agricultural supply chains.
American Cotton Shippers Association
Michael Symonanis
Chairman www. acsa-cotton. org
Cotton exporters in the United States continue to navigate trade policy uncertainty. The reactivation of tariffs echoes past disruptions that compromised US cotton’ s largest export market— China, empowering Brazilian competition. New USTR301 actions targeting China-flagged vessels and port equipment add long-term cost uncertainty, raising questions about shipper costs. With minimal forward 2025-26 crop sales, pressure is mounting on producers and merchants across cotton and other US agricultural exports.
Meanwhile, Brazil continues to expand cost-efficient production, largely unburdened by similar trade headwinds, intensifying competition in markets where US cotton must fight harder for share.
Still, demand fundamentals are improving. USDA projects 2025-26 global mill use at 118.8 million bales, just 0.3 % below last year and the second-highest level
But the US must stop inflicting wounds on our own supply chain to retain and grow domestic and foreign demand for our products.
The US Trade Representative imposed fees on container and bulk ships that deliver our agriculture to overseas customers, while our foreign competitors were not burdened with these fees. And those fees were only suspended for a year. Will they return? We got into trade tit-for-tats with the most populous country in the world: India. Now, Australia is happy to ship their almonds to India, replacing ours.
China is building automated port terminals around the world. Our response? To ban automation at our ports.
We have the lowest allowable truck weights in the world, forcing US exporters to hire two trucks for every one that Canadians, Europeans and Argentinians need to bring the same amount of agriculture to their ports. Uneconomic and unrealistic electric truck mandates have dramatically disrupted and increased the cost of moving agriculture to marine terminals.
Legislation to address cargo theft is stuck on Capitol Hill. When is our
government going to take this debilitating crime wave seriously?
Our agriculture exports will continue to be reduced by outside forces, which AgTC will continue to expose and contest. But our attention and efforts will not be diverted from the impediments on efficient affordable transportation, imposed by our own governments.
FBD Partnership
Darryl Cline
Senior Global Supply Chain Manager www. fbdfrozen. com
It’ s been another eventful year in supply chain! Staying up to date on US trade policy changes, understanding their impact on our business and identifying effective solutions has been critical. Our teams and suppliers are collaborating more frequently and efficiently, working
since 2020-21. Stable prices and global growth should sustain strong demand, with China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Turkey accounting for 82 % of global mill use.
The American Cotton Shippers Association( ACSA) is striving to grow global demand for US cotton through the Buy American Cotton Act and promoting cotton over synthetics through the Plant Not Plastic campaign. A shift of even 1 % in global fiber demand toward cotton would add 5 million bales— a meaningful boost to consumption. Traceability continues to play a decisive factor in sourcing decisions, and ACSA continues to develop a mechanism for brands to tell their customized sustainability story, free from allegations challenging other origins.
ACSA is pushing for reforms including removing USTR301 barriers for containerized exporters, fasttracking port and intermodal investments, and accelerating digitalization. We advocate for standardized tariffs, electronic documentation and real-time data sharing to close gaps that slow recovery and erode competitiveness.
In 2026, US cotton can succeed if policy, infrastructure and transparency improve alongside price and quality. ACSA remains committed to delivering solutions to protect our members, strengthen our supply chain and position American cotton for lasting success.
12 Journal of Commerce | January 5, 2026 www. joc. com