Tariffs and the potential for retaliatory duties are increasing uncertainty and costs for U.S. wheat growers and exporters in the Pacific Northwest. A trade delegation visit from mill operators and grain buyers from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines highlighted the importance of those markets. Washington state is the nation’s top wheat exporter, with about 90% of dryland wheat sent to west coast ports. Farmers and trade groups are working to reassure foreign buyers and maintain decades-old relationships. The Washington Grain Commission, founded in 1958, emphasizes sustained demand despite uncertain trade policy.
Businesses that rely on exports, like wheat growers, are growing increasingly nervous as well. This was apparent following a recent trade delegation visit through the Pacific Northwest that included mill operators and grain buyers from four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Such visits are routine, especially at harvest time. Washington state is the nation's top wheat exporting state - about 90% of the dryland wheat grown here is trucked or shipped by river barge to west coast ports.
Trade is all about relationships Casey Chumrau, CEO of the Washington Grain Commission, the trade group that helped sponsor the tour, says that farmers have spent decades building intricate trade relationships with foreign buyers. "The commission was founded in 1958 and obviously we've been through many different political administrations and we always come back to the relationships we have with our customers," Chumrau says.
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