OLYMPIA, Wash. — In Washington state, we often think of apples and timber as being big items of export, but what about livestock?
More than 1,400 pregnant dairy cows from California and Idaho shipped out of the Port of Olympia earlier this month.
The cows, headed to Vietnam, have become the port’s second most common export, behind timber, according to a port spokesperson.
"They've got freshwater, they've got good bedding, they're going to be comfortable,” said Tony Clayton.
His company, Clayton Agri-Marketing, Inc., started using the Port of Olympia for dairy cows in 2015.
February’s shipment was the sixth out of Olympia.
Clayton said while the American dairy market is struggling, thanks to milk alternatives, it’s booming in Vietnam.
"A few years ago Vietnam passed a law each child would have an opportunity to have one cup, one cup of milk a day,” said Clayton.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects all of the cows, and the conditions on the ship before they leave port.
The trip was expected to take 20 days.