Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small toured United Grain’s Vancouver Export Terminal and held a roundtable at the Port of Vancouver with local trade, agriculture, and port leaders.

During the tour of the terminal’s grain elevator and control center, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Deputy Secretary Torres Small discussed the important role trade plays in Southwest Washington’s economy and supporting thousands of good local jobs. 

United Grain’s Vancouver Terminal is the largest grain export facility on the West Coast and the Port of Vancouver’s largest tenant. The facility exports up to 6 million metric tons of grain and oilseeds a year, making up roughly 14 percent of the Pacific Northwest’s grain exports.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and Deputy Secretary Torres Small hold a roundtable at the Port of Vancouver.

During the roundtable discussion, the group discussed challenges facing Southwest Washington producers, the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), and how the Congresswoman and Deputy Secretary can best provide support at the federal level.

The Congresswoman and Deputy Secretary expressed their shared commitment to improving trade opportunities for local producers, bolstering our nation’s food supply chain, and supporting good jobs in agriculture and trade.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Agriculture Export Promotion Act to boost markets for American agricultural products and the USDA’s MAP and FMD programs.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has also introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen farmers’ resilience to extreme weather events, protect the right to repair agricultural equipment, and help ensure family farms aren’t squeezed out by increasing foreign ownership of American farmland.

“Southwest Washington farmers drive our region’s export economy, strengthen our food supply, and support good local jobs. I appreciate Deputy Secretary Torres Small highlighting our amazing ag producers and discussing how the USDA can help create stronger markets for their products,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “I’ll continue to work in Congress to ensure Southwest Washington’s ports and small farms have the resources they need to succeed and keep our region leading in trade.”