Grain Inspections to Resume & Banning Ag Exports

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Grain inspections were expected to resume at noon yesterday at the Port of Vancouver after a tentative agreement was reached between the United Grain Corporation and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Strife during the eighteen month dispute had effectively brought grain exports from the terminal to a standstill. In recent weeks numerous ag groups had petitioned for the return of grain inspection services at the Port.

Some U.S. commodities will be more adversely affected by Russia's ban on U.S. imports than others. Matt Harris with the Washington State Potato Commission says that many were surprised by Putin's broad decree.

HARRIS: The decree issued had a very broad brushed approach of looking at foods that are exported to the Russian Federation from across the globe, and part of that mix they targeted specifically the export of fresh potatoes. In Washington state we do export a few fresh potatoes to the Russian Federation. Last year it was just north of 1,400 U.S. tons. So, we are monitoring this situation. We do recognize that this is a very political issue between what's occurring right now in Russia and current stance of what's being looked at from all sorts of different angles from different countries.

Right now Harris says it is unlikely that the ban will have a major impact on potato growers in the state, but it is a wait and see situation.

HARRIS: When we have exported product to other markets - say Canada as an example - for Canada we export just a little bit north of 95,000 U.S. tons. When you compare the scope of some of our trading partners, if this continues, it will not have a long term devastating effect.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.