Growers of each of those products are treading uncertain territory this spring - though currencies seem to be getting more stable in places. Washington is the second largest U.S. exporter to Asia, and more than 50 percent of the state's exports go to that part of the world, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. If left unchecked, the weak Asian economy could cut U.S. agricultural exports by 6 percent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts. Shippers, chemical companies, storage houses and farm workers will all feel the squeeze, Shau said. Consumers in struggling countries are eating cheaper local food, he said, and exporters are trying to entice them while developing other markets.
Farmers tend to view the current economic uncertainty as a storm to be weathered.
O'Rourke said the bad news won't last forever. People are not going to stop eating. You still have a rapidly growing world population, and it's pretty clear Asia will have to buy more and more agricultural products from North America. As they diversify their diets, they will want the products we grow. With the exception of Japan, however, Asian countries are coping with their problems and Western investments are starting to buoy the economies, O'Rourke said.