U.S. Grains Council updates Value of Grains Exports study

(Posted on 02/10/23)

An important study examines the economic contributions provided by exports of malt barley, other barley, corn, corn gluten feed and meal, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), ethanol, sorghum and the corn equivalent of beef, pork and poultry on the U.S. economy. The study specifically highlights the economic contributions provided by each U.S. state and individually analyzes them with the goal of quantifying the degree to which state economies rely upon and benefit from grain exports.

“There is a long history of economic analysis showing the value of export markets for the U.S. agricultural industry, and the majority of ag producers and businesses readily recognize the economic value of export markets,” said Bryan Jernigan, USGC director of communications. “Now, visitors to the site can get the most up-to-date information on how trade in their state contributes to overall, top-level trade numbers so they easily see how ag exports benefit not only their state, but also the U.S. economy.”

Results from the analysis show that the $31.5 billion in grain and grain products exported indirectly supported a total economic output of $104 billion in 2021. In other words, access to international export markets for U.S. grains supported nearly an additional $72 billion in business sales during 2021. Moreover, the export of grain products supported U.S. GDP by $42 billion over what would have occurred without such exports. Finally, the number of jobs linked directly or indirectly to grain exports totalled roughly 462,000.

Further analysis shows that for every dollar of grain product exports generated, through indirect and induced business activities, $3.31 in business sales are supported across the United States.

The online interactive platform allows users to break down each state in the U.S. based on total value of exports and production, with downloadable PDF infographics available as well.

These results highlight the important role grain and grain products play in the U.S. economy.