Overview
Corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the United
States, accounting for more than 90 percent of total value
and production of feed grains. Around 80 million acres
of land are planted to corn, with the majority of the
crop grown in the Heartland region. Most of the crop is
used as the main energy ingredient in livestock feed.
Corn is also processed into a multitude of food and industrial
products including starch, sweeteners, corn oil, beverage
and industrial alcohol, and fuel ethanol. The United States
is a major player in the world corn trade market, with
approximately 20 percent of the corn crop exported to
other countries. ERS analyzes events in the domestic and
global corn markets that influence supply, demand, trade,
and prices.
Features
Feed
Grains Backgrounder addresses key market and policy
developments that have affected the U.S. feed grains sector
in recent years. The size and speed of the expanding use
of corn by the ethanol industry is raising widespread
issues throughout U.S. agriculture. Discussions are ongoing
over the use of grain for fuel instead of for food or
feed and the adequacy of future grain supplies. During
the ongoing farm policy debate, the U.S. feed grain sector
faces uncertainty about the future level and type of government
support.
Global Agricultural Supply and Demand: Factors Contributing to the Recent Increase in Food Commodity Prices explores the many factors that have contributed to the runup in food commodity prices over the last 2 years.
Recommended Readings
Corn
Prices Near Record High, But What About Food Costs?
traces the effect of higher corn prices on U.S. retail
food prices by analyzing data on price trends from 1987-2007
and the price responsiveness of corn-dependent food to
cost changes. The results indicate ethanol's impact
on retail food prices depends on how long the increased
demand for corn increases farm corn prices and the extent
to which higher corn prices are passed through to retail.
Ethanol
Expansion in the United States: How Will the Agricultural
Sector Adjust? examines effects of the expansion in
U.S. ethanol production. Market impacts extend well beyond
corn, the primary feedstock for ethanol in the United
States, to supply and demand for other crops, such as
soybeans and cotton, as well as to U.S. livestock industries.
As a consequence of these commodity market impacts, farm
income, government payments, and food prices also change.
See narrated slideshow for an overview; see related Amber Waves feature U.S.
Ethanol Expansion Driving Changes Throughout the Agricultural
Sector.
The First Decade of Genetically
Engineered Crops in the United States reports that
over the past 10 years, farmers have widely adopted genetically
engineered (GE) varieties of corn, soybeans, and cotton.
While consumer concerns about foods contain GE ingredients
vary by country—European consumers are the most
apprehensive—those concerns have not had a large
impact on the market for GE crops in the United States.
See all recommended readings...
Recommended Data Products
Feed Grains Database
is a queryable database that contains monthly, quarterly,
and annual data on prices, supply, and use of corn and
other feed grains. This includes data published in the
monthly Feed Outlook and the annual Feed Yearbook reports.
Corn Production
Costs and Returns data and analyses are available
at regional and national levels back to 1975.
Season-Average Price Forecasts
provides three Excel spreadsheet models that use futures
prices to forecast the U.S. season-average price and counter-cyclical
payment rate for corn, soybeans, and wheat. Users can
view the model forecasts or create their own forecast
by inserting different values for futures prices, basis
values, or marketing weights.
Weights, Measures, and
Conversion Factors for Agricultural Commodities and Their
Products was compiled to provide conversion factors
for use in USDA statistical, research, and service programs.
Several of the conversion factors and values shown in
this 1992 handbook can be applied to many commodities,
while others relate to specific commodities or products.
Foreign Agricultural Trade of
the United States (FATUS) provides U.S. agricultural
exports and imports, volume and value, by country, by
commodity, and by calendar year, fiscal year, and month,
for varying periods, such as 1935 to the present or 1989
to the present. Updated monthly or annually.
Production,
Supply, and Distribution (PS&D) contains official
USDA data on production, supply, and distribution of agricultural
commodities for the United States and major importing
and exporting countries. The database provides projections
for the coming year and historical data for more than
200 countries and major crop, livestock, fishery, and
forest products.
WTO Agricultural Trade Policy Commitments
Database contains data on implementation of trade
policy commitments by WTO member countries. ata on domestic
support, export subsidies, and tariffs are organized for
comparison across countries. This queriable database offers
various options for viewing and downloading data.
Newsletter
Feed
Outlook provides an update each month (except in April)
of current market developments influencing the corn industry.
Related Briefing Rooms
Agricultural Baseline
Projections
U.S. Agricultural Trade
Farm and Commodity Policy
Farm Income and Costs
Farm Structure
Related Links
Websites of other USDA agencies, the Commerce Department,
and universities contain valuable information on corn
and other feed grains.
See all related links...
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