EXPORTS AND TRADE

As the world’s largest exporter of agricultural products, the U.S. is a major contributor to global food security, and American agricultural exports have a strong impact on our trade balance and economic growth.

About 25% of all U.S. agricultural products by value are exported every year, totaling nearly $146 billion. Soybeans are the largest export product by value, followed by corn, tree nuts, pork, and beef. China is the biggest buyer of American farm products, followed by Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

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So what does it take to get a bushel of soybeans from a farm in the Midwest to an end user in China? The export value chain includes a wide variety of actors – farmers who grow crops, traders and brokers who facilitate sales, local co-ops and storage facilities, transport operators who load and carry commodities on trains or barges, port handlers, inspectors, and international shipping companies to arrange ocean-going vessels. The journey is long, but the U.S. supply chain is incredibly efficient, helping ensure that consumers all around the world have access to safe, affordable supplies of food.