Gov. Haley Barbour spoke to attendees at a freight conference Wednesday about the importance of efficient transportation of goods.

A group of businessmen, officials and industry players was gathered for a conference on shipping freight sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

“Parts of Mississippi are in a period of robust economic growth, and it doesn’t happen without transportation,” Barbour said.

“For us to grow economically, we have to have a good relationship with transportation, whether it’s ports, airports or the river. It’s so critical to economic growth.”

The Mississippi River kicked off Mississippi’s economy with water transportation, and highways now dominate the field, he said. But now it is important to diversify, he said.

“While trucks and highways dominate transportation, we all recognize that with the amount of freight today, we’ve got to better utilize other methods,” Barbour said.

“We’ve got to put containers on rails and on the river and improve our ports.”

The amount of freight coming from the Gulf Coast is a challenge, he said — a challenge to spread out the load over all forms of transportation.

Distribution is a large part of the state economy and something on which the economy depends, he said.

“That’s why I’m glad to have you here where we can learn from you how to do better,” he said.

Barbour, who is running for re-election, was among the government and industry officials who attended the conference.

MDOT Executive Director Larry L. “Butch” Brown introduced Barbour, and a representative from the Canadian National railroad also spoke Wednesday.

The conference brings together members of the industry from across the country to try to work out how to improve freight transportation across the country.

The conference began Wednesday and will last through Friday.