Home Trade and Investment State Trade Fact Sheets 2005 North Dakota

North Dakota

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• 13,000 North Dakota jobs are supported by Canada-U.S. trade
• Total Canada–U.S. merchandise trade: $411 billion
• Canada–U.S. trade supported 5.2 million U.S. jobs
• North Dakota trades more with Canada than over 25 of its next top export markets combined
• Bilateral trade between Canada and North Dakota in 2004 exceeded $1.7 billion

Shared border, shared goods...
North Dakota’s northern position helped significantly in strengthening its bilateral trade relationship with Canada in 2004. Canada was the Peace Garden State’s top export destination in 2004, as almost half (48%) of North Dakota’s total exports were sent north. In fact, more North Dakotan exports were sent to Canada than to the state’s next 25 top foreign trade partners combined, including Belgium, Australia, and Mexico.

Down on the farm...
North Dakota’s chief export has historically been agricultural products, as over half of its population lives in rural farming areas. Farmland covers 89% of the state, and was responsible for 38% of all revenue brought in from trade with Canada in 2004. Part of this revenue was generated from the $44 million worth of vegetable oils and fats that Canadians imported, making the commodities North Dakota’s second largest export in 2004. Other major agricultural exports to Canada included oil cake seed and meal, shelled corn, and cereals.

Wheels go ‘round...
Dominating the market, agriculture and machinery accounted for 67% of all North Dakota’s exports to Canada in 2004. There was a significant demand for front end loaders—enough to make them North Dakota’s top export in 2004 and bringing in $45 million from Canadian buyers. Overall, the sale of machinery contributed $134 million to the economy of the Roughrider State.

The power to trade...
The ties that bind Canada and North Dakota were strengthened in 2004, with North Dakota importing close to $400 million worth of energy from its northern ally and Canada purchasing $32 million in return. In 2004, North Dakotans sold 68% more energy to Canada than they did in the previous year.

Peaceful relations...
The Peace Garden State welcomed its Canadian neighbors to explore its rolling plains, with hundreds of thousands of Canadians spending $48 million in 2004 alone. In fact, the state’s tourism industry experienced an increase of $13 million over the previous year. North Dakotans spent $25 million on their 73,000 visits to Canada.

North Dakota's Leading Exports to Canada
2004, in millions of U.S. dollars

• Front end loaders ($45)
• Vegetable oils & fats ($44)
• Oil seed cake & meal ($36)
• Crude petroleum ($30)
• Soil preparations, seeding & fertilizing machinery ($26)
• Shelled corn ($18)
• Power shovels ($15)
• Motor vehicle parts, not incluing engines ($13)
• Scrap iron & steel ($9)
• Soya beans ($7)

North Dakota's Leading Imports from Canada
2004, in millions of U.S. dollars

• Petroleum & coal products ($314)
• Canola ($115)
• Fertilizers ($115)
• Crude petroleum ($45)
• Motor vehicle parts, not nicluding engines ($44)
• Electricity ($32)
• Soil preparations, seeding & fertilizing machinery ($27)
• Vegetables ($23)
• Softwood lumber ($19)
• Prefabricated buildings & structures ($17)

Canada-North Dakota Success Stories

Cavendish Farms of Dieppe, New Brunswick, employs over 200 people at their potato processing plant in Jamestown, North Dakota which supplies French fries and other frozen potato products to retail and food service accounts across the United States. Since purchasing the plant in 2001, the Canadian company has increased the number of employees, raised base salaries, and has invested heavily in updating the Jamestown facility.The Canadian Pacific Railway increased its presence in North Dakota in late 2003 with the completion of a new grain terminal in Enderlin, ND. Owned by Plains Grain & Agronomy, LLC, the 100-car grain terminal is conveniently located to facilitate the transfer of truck freight to rail. The terminal marks the 13th of its kind in North Dakota serviced by CPR, a transcontinental carrier that operates throughout the U.S. and Canada whose network covers some 14,000 miles of rail.

North Dakota-Canada Facts at a Glance:

• State jobs supported by Canada–U.S. trade: 13,000

June 2005

For more information on Canada's trade with North Dakota, please contact:
Consulate General of Canada
701 Fourth Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1899
Phone: (612) 332-7486   •   Fax: (612) 332-4061
www.minneapolis.gc.ca

Sources: Merchandise trade and tourism figures are from Statistics Canada, converted at the rate of US$1.00=C$1.3015. Job numbers are based on 2001 data from a 2003 study by Trade Partnership Worldwide commissioned by the Canadian Embassy. Canada's export ranking is from the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER). All figures are in U.S. dollars. Figures may not add up due to rounding.

• Read the 2004 state trade figures
• Read the 2003 state trade figures
• Read the 2002 state trade figures