“It’s concerning,” Durham said. “We need to figure this out. If we’re going to do bilateral, then we need to get it done. If there’s one thing that keeps me up at night, it’s that. It’s a huge part of our economy.”

Durham said Iowa export numbers have been hurt by a strong U.S. dollar and emerging middle-class markets in countries that have not met expectations in the demand for U.S. products.

“This whole conversation of trade agreements and America being left out of that,” she said, “that’s concerning for us going forward, particularly at a time when we’re seeing such a robust interest in manufacturing.”

Talent pipeline

On a separate topic, Ben McLean, chairman of the Iowa Business Council and chief executive officer of Ruan Transportation Management Systems, announced council members have pledged to hire 30,000 interns, externs and apprentices by the year 2025 as part of its commitment to collaborate with state government to strengthen the “talent pipeline” in Iowa.

The council’s commitment to double its yearly base of about 2,100 entry-level positions was designed to tie into the Future Ready Iowa Initiative’s goal of having 70 percent of Iowans ages 25 to 64 attain education or training beyond high school by the year 2025.