Farmers face rising costs in ongoing trade war

Washington farmers can expect a tougher year covering expenses even if political leaders finalize trade agreements with the countries that import apples, beef and wheat from the Evergreen State, a Washington State University professor said.Randy Fortenbery spoke at length about the troubling overall picture of the forces grinding against what has been a robust U.S. economy."I think commodity prices, except for sorghum, are going to be a little bit better than last year. But we are talking dimes not dollars," Fortenbery said. "I don't think the price increase will offset the cost increases."He openly contradicted President Donald Trump, who last year said trade wars are good and easy to win.