Fargo, N.D. (AP) North Dakota and a port in the state of Washington have signed an agreement that will increase the shipments of agricultural commodities from North Dakota to the west coast. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the agreement signed Wednesday with Port of Vancouver located in Washington state will provide a major opportunity to commodity handlers, particularly small and mid-sized companies, to access rail facilities on the same basis as larger companies. Goehring says boxcars that carry supplies to North Dakota's oil industry currently return to the port empty. Under the agreement, the boxcars will head back west filled with wheat, corn, soybeans and other crops. The boxcars would then be offloaded and put into ships that can transport the North Dakota commodities to Asia and Latin America.