U.S. Agricultural Exports: Industry Gateway

What the U.S. agricultural export industry covers

"Agriculture" in an export context is far wider than farming. It includes raw commodities moved in bulk, refrigerated and frozen protein, fresh produce with short shelf lives, shelf-stable processed foods and ingredients, and the inputs and equipment that other countries' farms depend on.

That range matters commercially, because each group behaves differently: bulk grain competes largely on price, logistics and delivery windows, while consumer-ready food often competes on brand, certification, packaging and shelf life. A first-time exporter should decide which of these they actually are before choosing markets or partners.

Bulk commodities and oilseeds

Soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum, rice, cotton and similar goods moved in vessel or container volumes, usually with commodity contracts, inspection and weight/quality terms.

Protein and animal products

Beef, pork, poultry, dairy and eggs. Typically the most heavily regulated group, requiring plant eligibility and veterinary/health certification for the destination country.

Fresh produce and horticulture

Fruit, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery stock and cut flowers. Cold-chain integrity, phytosanitary certification and transit time drive feasibility.

Processed foods and ingredients

Snacks, beverages, sauces, bakery, pet food, proteins and functional ingredients. Labeling, additive rules and shelf-life claims vary by market.

Agricultural inputs and technology

Seed and genetics, fertilizer and crop protection, animal health and feed additives, plus irrigation, storage and precision-agriculture equipment.

Agricultural services

Agronomy, farm management, food-safety consulting, cold-chain design, grain handling engineering and training — exportable expertise, not a physical product.

How agricultural exporting differs from other industries

• Perishability sets your logistics: cold-chain, transit time and port congestion can decide whether a market is realistic at all.
• Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules are destination-specific. The same product can be routine in one country and prohibited in another.
• Certificates often travel with the shipment. A missing or inconsistent certificate is a common cause of holds at the destination port.
• Seasonality and harvest windows shape pricing and contract timing far more than in most manufactured-goods exports.
• Buyer expectations frequently include third-party standards (food safety, organic, animal welfare) beyond U.S. legal requirements.

Requirements are set by the destination country and by U.S. agencies including USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Verify current requirements with those agencies before shipping.

International market context

Demand for U.S. agricultural goods is concentrated in markets with large import needs, established logistics links to U.S. ports, and consumer or processing demand that domestic production does not fully cover. Trade agreements, tariff schedules and SPS access negotiations change which markets are practical from year to year.

The snapshot below reports only figures published by U.S. government agencies, with the release identified. Beyond that, use the official sources directly rather than relying on second-hand numbers: USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service publishes country and commodity-level export data through the Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), attaché reports on specific markets, and its export requirements database. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes official monthly trade statistics. USDA's Economic Research Service publishes outlook and analysis.

A useful sequence for market research: confirm your product's classification, check whether your product category has market access to the destination, review recent trade flows for that country and commodity, then confirm tariff treatment and any quota.

Sources to verify current data: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (GATS and Global Agricultural Information Network reports), USDA Economic Research Service, and U.S. Census Bureau trade statistics. Figures change with each release — cite the release date when you use them.

U.S. agricultural export snapshot

Calendar-year 2023 figures as published by USDA. Each line below can be checked against the release named at the end of this section.

Total agricultural exports

$178.7 billion in 2023, down from the 2022 peak — USDA Economic Research Service attributes the decline to falling global commodity prices, a strong dollar and shifting demand for commodities such as corn and soybeans.

Leading categories

The top three destination markets — China, Mexico, and Canada — account for nearly half of U.S. agricultural export value.

Top commodities

The top 10 U.S. agricultural exports in 2023 were corn, soybeans, tree nuts, dairy products, beef and beef products, vegetables, fruits, poultry meat and products, pork and pork products, and wheat. Corn, tree nut and dairy exports grew year over year; soybean exports fell.

Top destination markets

China was the largest market at $34.1 billion, followed by Mexico ($28.2 billion), Canada ($27.9 billion), the European Union ($12.3 billion) and Japan ($11.5 billion). The top three partners together account for nearly half of U.S. agricultural exports.

Trade balance

U.S. agricultural imports exceeded exports by about $16.6 billion in 2023. Exports grew at a 2.5% compound annual rate from 2013 to 2023, while imports grew at 5.8%.

Example commodity detail

U.S. soybean exports were $27.9 billion on 49.1 million metric tons in 2023, against a three-year average of $30.2 billion — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service commodity data drawn from GATS.

Sources: USDA Economic Research Service, "U.S. agricultural export values of bulk products fall in 2023" and "Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials — Agricultural Trade" (updated June 30, 2024); USDA ERS "Countries & Regions" (updated April 1, 2024); USDA Foreign Agricultural Service commodity trade data and the 2023 U.S. Agricultural Export Yearbook (released May 13, 2024). Figures are calendar-year 2023 unless noted and are superseded by each new release — confirm against GATS, ERS or U.S. Census Bureau data before using them commercially.

Getting an agricultural export shipment right

1. 1

   Classify the product

   Determine the HS classification for each item. Agricultural classifications are granular, and duty rates, quotas and certificate requirements follow from them.

2. 2

   Confirm market access

   Check whether your specific product and facility are eligible for the destination country, including any registration, plant listing or import-permit step the buyer must complete on their side.

3. 3

   Line up certification

   Identify which certificates the shipment needs — phytosanitary, veterinary/health, certificate of origin, and any third-party standard the buyer requires — and who issues each one.

4. 4

   Design the logistics

   Match packaging, temperature control and transit time to the product. Choose between container, breakbulk or bulk, and confirm the routing with a freight forwarder before quoting.

5. 5

   Agree terms and payment

   Set the trade term (FOB, CIF and others) so responsibility for cost and risk is unambiguous, and agree a payment method appropriate to the buyer relationship.

6. 6

   Assemble the documents

   Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificates and any destination-specific declarations. Consistency across documents matters as much as the documents themselves.