American Agriculture Reaches Highest Annual Export Levels Ever Recorded

February 18, 2022

In case you forgot, American agriculture is a powerhouse. Here’s your reminder:

 

Final calendar year 2021 trade data published by the Department of Commerce earlier this month shows that the American agricultural industry reached its highest annual export value ever recorded in history.

 

Exports of U.S. farm and food products to the world totaled $177 billion, topping the 2020 total by 18 percent and eclipsing the previous record, set in 2014, by 14.6 percent.

The United States’ top ten export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the ten – China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia – setting new records.

 

U.S. corn exports reached the highest volume since at ‎least 1967, by beating the previous corn export record set in 2018.

 

Illinois, the nation’s top corn exporting state, shipped over a billion bushels of corn out of state in 2021 – most of it destined for overseas markets.

< Older Post

 Newer Post >
Dr. Yan Zhang, Justin Moore, Rod Weinzierl, Rep. Nikki Budzinski, Dr. Christopher Slaten, and Dr. Pr

Rep. Budzinski Requests Federal Funding for National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center

By Lyndi Allen • May 26, 2026
Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski is requesting federal funding for the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center through her Community Project Funding requests.
Shane and Taylor

Meet the Robot Changing How Illinois Farmers Fight Weeds

By Tara Desmond • May 21, 2026
Solinftec's Solix robot uses AI to target weeds in real time, cutting chemical use up to 90%. Solar-powered, autonomous, and built for Midwest farms.
Photo taken in McLean County Museum of History

Illinois Ag Across Time: Episode 2

By Tara Desmond • May 21, 2026
Illinois Ag Across Time - Episode 2: Tracing 200 years of Illinois farm families, innovation, and the land that fed a nation.
Don Meyer

Illinois Ag Across Time: Episode 1

By Tara Desmond • May 21, 2026
Illinois Ag Across Time — Tracing 200 years of Illinois farm families, innovation, and the land that fed a nation.
Hammer striking corn kernels on a wooden surface, with kernels scattering in a rustic barn setting

Ethanol: Fact vs. Fiction

By Lyndi Allen • May 21, 2026
Ethanol is a powerhouse for American farms, fuels American vehicles, and has strengthened America’s economy for decades, but remains one of the most misunderstood fuels on the road today.
Cargo containers lined up at a port beside a canal, under a bright sky

From River Locks to Global Markets

By Lyndi Allen • May 21, 2026
For decades, America’s inland waterways operated on a system that couldn’t keep up—aging infrastructure, delayed projects, and a funding model that forced farmers and shippers to wait.
Show More