Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is hopeful a resolution can be made soon to end trade and tariff disputes between the United States and China.

Naig tells KNIA/KRLS News he’s concerned about the impact a prolonged conflict would have on Iowa’s farm economy, considering the amount of products exported out of state.

“As I’ve traveled the state visiting with producers and Iowa businesses, there is absolutely a deep concern about the potential of a tit-for-tat trade war situation that could develop between the United States and China,” he says. “In fact, we’ve already seen tariffs already go into place on U.S. pork going to China, but soybeans is still one that’s been proposed but as not yet come into effect. One out of every three rows of Iowa soybeans goes to China, so it’s a critically important market for us.”

Naig did acknowledge there is also a need to address issues related intellectual property and product quality between the two nations, but he would like farmers to be kept out of the crosshairs of a trade war.