Beef helps power another record year for U.S. ag exports

Export sales increased 11% from the previous record set in 2021.

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

*Ground beef*
*Photo courtesy of* *Alexa/Pixabay*

With beef ranking among the top U.S. ag export commodities in 2022, the U.S. agricultural sector posted its best export year ever.

International sales of U.S. farm and food products reached $196 billion in 2022. Final 2022 trade data released by the Commerce Department shows that U.S. agricultural exports increased 11% ($19.5 billion) from the previous record set in 2021.

The top U..S. ag export commodities in 2022 were:

beef
corn
cotton
dairy
soybeans
tree nuts

These commodities together comprised more than half of U.S. agricultural export value. International sales of many U.S. products — including soybeans, cotton, dairy, beef, ethanol, poultry, soybean meal, distilled spirits and distillers’ grains — reached record values.

“We’re strengthening relationships with our trading partners and holding those partners accountable for their commitments," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "We’re making historic investments in infrastructure to strengthen supply chains and prevent market disruptions. We’re knocking down trade barriers that hamper U.S. producers’ access to key markets. And we’re continuing to invest in export market development programs, partnering with industry to bring high-quality, cost-competitive U.S. products to consumers around the world.”

The value of sales increased in all U.S. top 10 agricultural export markets:

China
Mexico
Canada
Japan
European Union
South Korea
Taiwan
the Philippines
Colombia
Vietnam

Sales in seven of the 10 markets — China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Colombia — set export records in 2022.

“While we remain committed to our established customer base around the world, we are also setting our sights on new growth opportunities in places like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia," Vilsack said. "Overall, there were 30 markets where U.S. exports exceeded $1 billion in 2022 — an increase from 27 markets in 2021 — demonstrating the broad global appeal of American-grown products.”

Source: USDA