International trade in grains and oilseeds is an issue of major importance both to the economies of the U.S. and Canada. An important determinant in international trade flows and competitiveness is the grain transportation system and related infrastructure. The international grain trade and the related transportation systems are changing rapidly. These changes derive from changes in the economic situations of trading partners, alterations to agricultural, trade, and transportation policy, and shifts in the structure of markets for grain and grain transportation. Understanding international competitiveness and future developments in agricultural trade requires an assimilation of these interrelated topics. This topic has been a research area of the Regional Research Committee on Agricultural and Rural Transportation Systems, NCR-179, since its inception in 1993. NCR-179 has as its objectives the review and identification of research and data priorities in agricultural transportation, and the exchange of research and information in these areas. This proceedings reports the results of a symposium convened by NCR-179 on October 6 and 7th, 1995 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to address issues of agricultural transportation and trade. The papers examine a variety of issues impacting the demand for transportation services for the movement of farm commodities in the U.S. and Canada, both domestically and internationally. Table of Contents: Changes in Grain Handling and Transportation: a Canadian Perspective, by Art G. Wilson; Some Thoughts on U.S. Rail and Barge Transport, 1995-96, by Allan A. Housh; Ocean Freight, by Tom Medd; Canadian Rail Subsidies and Continental Barley Flows: A Spatial Analysis, by D. Demcey Johnson and William W. Wilson; Maritime Shipping Issues and U.S. Agricultural Exports, by James R. Jones; Impacts of Increases in Food Demand in China on the World Agricultural Shipping Industry, by Won W. Koo.