(Infographic) U.S. Grain Production Facts in 2021

With 2022 planting well underway, it's helpful to look at last year's grain production and supply. This infographic, first published in theFebruary/March issueof Feed & Grain magazine, goes over some of the facts about the 2020/2021 grain marketing year.

The 2019-2020 grain marketing year was an anomaly when it came to grain exports. Between a trade war with the world's largest grain importer and it being the year lockdowns began for the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty in the grain markets, and exports suffered. Thankfully, by the end of 2020, exports were back on track.

In the 2020-2021 marketing year, grain exports hit an all-time. Exports of grains in all forms grew 28.3% and the United States sold over 5.2 billion bushels of grain to customers across the globe according to the U.S. Grains CouncilExport Breakdown.

The increase in foreign interest in U.S. grains was met with an increase in production for U.S. producers. According to data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's (NASS)Annual Crop Production Report, Corn, soybeans and sorghum all had a record year with wheat production slightly lowering.

Those increased production numbers weren't a surprise, as producers planted millions of acres more of corn, soybeans and sorghum according to that same USDA NASS crop report. Demand for these grains has gone up around the world as more people enter the middle class worldwide and expect meat to become a nutritional staple. Each of the grains that grew in production between 2020 and 2021 are used in animal feed.

After a year of uncertainty, China once again buying grain from the United States was one of the most significant factors in the sharp rise of exports between the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 marketing years. That makes sense; China is reliant on other nations for grain. After African Swine Feverdecimated the nation's hog industry, even more grain was needed to rebuild the country's swine herd.

The final factor that went into farmers producing more grain, is that they continue to get better at growing. Producers were able to squeeze 5.6 bushels of corn and 0.2 bushels of grain out of each acre planted.