How to Cook » The Biggest Agricultural Export of Every U.S. State

The Biggest Agricultural Export of Every U.S. State

The United States is known for being a major exporter of agricultural products. In fact, the U.S. is the largest exporter of agricultural products in the world! The country’s agricultural exports hit a record high in 2021, with food and farm products totaling $177 billion in sales. From soybeans and produce to livestock, the U.S.’s agricultural exports are a significant contributor to the economy.

But what are the biggest agricultural exports in each U.S. state? Looking at data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can show us the agricultural product with the highest export value in all 50 states. Check out this map from How To Cook Recipes.

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The Biggest Agricultural Export of Every U.S. State

What Are the Biggest Agricultural Exports in Every State?

Based on the most recent available data from the USDA, these are the biggest agricultural exports in every state along with their export values measured in millions of dollars:

StateTop ExportExport Value (Millions of Dollars)
AlabamaBroiler meat340.3
AlaskaOther plant products12.8
ArizonaProcessed vegetables256.5
ArkansasSoybeans977.0
CaliforniaTree nuts7,757.9
ColoradoBeef and veal462.5
ConnecticutOther plant products215.9
DelawareBroiler meat99.4
FloridaOther plant products1,673.3
GeorgiaCotton797.0
HawaiiOther plant products175.8
IdahoOther plant products484.6
IllinoisSoybeans3,623.9
IndianaSoybeans2,006.4
IowaSoybeans3,339.0
KansasSoybeans1,243.1
KentuckySoybeans582.3
LouisianaOther plant products406.4
MaineOther plant products106.1
MarylandOther plant products196.5
MassachusettsOther plant products153.5
MichiganOther plant products692.6
MinnesotaSoybeans2,109.1
MississippiSoybeans670.6
MissouriSoybeans1,715.8
MontanaWheat787.8
NebraskaSoybeans1,907.3
NevadaBeef and veal36.3
New HampshireOther plant products50.7
New JerseyOther plant products449.0
New MexicoDairy products209.9
New YorkOther plant products501.6
North CarolinaPork769.5
North DakotaSoybeans1,106.9
OhioSoybeans1,615.3
OklahomaPork369.8
OregonOther plant products1,042.0
PennsylvaniaOther plant products701.1
Rhode IslandOther plant products19.7
South CarolinaOther plant products193.0
South DakotaSoybeans1,209.0
TennesseeSoybeans500.9
TexasCotton1,702.2
UtahOther plant products119.7
VermontOther plant products81.0
VirginiaOther plant products280.1
WashingtonFresh fruits779.8
West VirginiaOther plant products51.8
WisconsinDairy products915.8
WyomingBeef and veal107.5

“Other plant products,” a term that the USDA uses to include sweeteners, other horticulture products, planting seeds, cocoa, coffee, and other processed foods, are the biggest agricultural export in 22 different states. Of the states that have other plant products as their biggest export, Florida tops the list at $1.67 billion in export value.

The next most common agricultural export in the United States is soybeans. They’re one of the U.S.’s major exports and are the top export in terms of dollar value in 14 different states.

What Is the U.S.’s Biggest Export in Terms of Agriculture?

In 2021, the biggest agricultural export in the United States overall was soybeans, resulting in $27.37 billion in export value. These are the U.S.’s biggest exports in the agricultural sector:

  1. Soybeans: $27.37 billion
  2. Corn: $18.72 billion
  3. Beef: $10.58 billion
  4. Tree nuts: $8.88 billion
  5. Pork: $8.11 billion
  6. Dairy products: $7.66 billion
  7. Wheat: $7.24 billion
  8. Fruits and vegetables (fresh, processed, and juices combined): $6.29 billion
  9. Cotton: $5.71 billion
  10. Poultry products: $5.25 billion

China, Mexico, and Canada account for the majority of the U.S.’s agricultural exports. Those three countries alone are responsible for nearly 49% of the country’s agricultural exports. The USDA says that China’s purchases account for $33 billion of the U.S.’s export value in this sector. The majority of these purchases were soybeans. The U.S. shipped more than $14 billion worth of soybeans to China in 2021. Corn was also a big purchase for China, as they paid $5.1 billion for corn. This is up from $1.22 billion in 2020.

Mexico is the country with the second-highest amount of agricultural purchases from the U.S. Mexico’s purchases in 2021 amounted to $25.72 billion, which was up nearly 40% from 2020. Corn purchases increased 76% since 2020 and amounted to $4.7 billion.

The third-biggest purchaser of the U.S.’s agricultural products is Canada. Canada bought $25.05 billion worth of agricultural products from the United States in 2021.

Since we’re the biggest agricultural exporter in the world, it’s clear that many countries rely on the U.S. to make classic recipes like beef stew and fried chicken.

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This page was last updated by Megan Miller