A Purdue University economist says the recent port strike showed several inefficiencies in the current U.S. port system.

Trey Malone tells Brownfield...

"The strike emphasizes that there is a globally valuable resource in U.S. ports," he says. "Sine these ports are so absolutely critical, it's super important for us not just to think about the strikes, but for us to think about what the port production should look like if we're going to maintain some type of an efficient food system."

He says improvements would maintain competitiveness in the global marketplace.

"There's really no sign of this globalization effort slowing down, and it probably should not in terms of long term growth for the agricultural industry in the United States," he says. "With that said, there is this overarching need for the food supply chain to be maintained through more efficient."

Malone says improving port efficiency will require collaboration from both Congress and industry partners.