Economic impact of U.S. pork and beef exports on corn and soybean industries

In 2024, U.S. pork and beef exports of $19.1 billion – an increase of $1 billion over 2023 and down just 2% from the 2022 record – had a significant impact on the corn and soybean industries, according to an independent study conducted by the Juday Group and released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Nationally, U.S. pork and beef exports accounted for $2.24 billion in market value to corn, $525 million to distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and $1.12 billion to soybeans in 2024.

Exporting corn through U.S. beef and pork

• Beef and pork exports accounted for 525.1 million bushels of U.S. corn usage, which equated to a market value of $2.24 billion (at an average 2024 corn price of $4.27 per bushel).
• Beef and pork exports accounted for 3.04 million tons of DDGS usage, equating to $525 million (at an average 2024 price of $172.56 per ton).
• Beef and pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 14%, or $0.59, of bushel value at an average price of $4.27 per bushel in 2024.

Exporting soybeans through U.S. pork

• Pork exports accounted for 100.7 million bushels of U.S. soybean usage, which equated to a market value of $1.12 billion (at an average 2024 soybean price of $11.11 per bushel).
• Pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 13.2% of bushel value, or $1.46, at an average price of $11.11 per bushel in 2024.