Lewison: Trade Uncertainty Has NW Producers “Concerned”

Earlier this week, President Trump acknowledged he’s in no rush to finalize a trade deal with China.  He added the best thing may be to hold off until after the November elections.  That announcement did not sit well with the farming community, and the non-farming community.  In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1% following his comments.  The S&P fell 0.66%and the Nasdaq dropped 0.55%.

That uncertainty continues to spread from the corner of Wall and Broad to northwest farms.  Pam Lewison with the Washington Policy Center says the best word to describe the current mood on trade is “concerned”.

“They’re worried about how they are going to pay their bills, they’re worried about how they’re going to move their farms forward.  And when you get into a situation where you’re not sure where you’re going to sell your product and to whom, that’s something that weighs heavily on you, day in and day out.”

Lewison added that turbulence makes already challenging marketability decisions even more difficult.

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