U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue toured the Port of Vancouver USA on Wednesday and learned about the wheat, steel and other commodities exports handled at the port, but he also learned of the anxieties some in shipping industries have about the growing tensions between the U.S. and countries it trades with.
In his discussions, Perdue heard not only about the volume of steel and chemicals and Northwest grains shipped in and out of Columbia River ports, but also the concerns those exporters and their international trading partners have about growing tensions over trade.
China, in particular, is targeting American agricultural products with tariffs on wheat, rice and pork and canceling large orders of American soybeans.
Nearly half of U.S. wheat exports and more than a quarter of all U.S. grain exports move through the Columbia River and Puget Sound grain terminals.
