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. Almost 80 million acres of land were planted to corn in 2003, 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.

contents

• Background
• Trade
• Market Outlook
• Policy

feature
Forecasting Feed Grain Prices in a Changing Environment provides price models for corn, sorghum, barley, and oats, along with a statistical test for structural change in the feed grains sector. The models offer a framework to forecast season-average, farm-level prices and to gauge the consistency of supply, demand, and price forecasts.

recommended readings
USDA Feed Grains Baseline, 2004-13 provides background on supply and demand trends for feed grains, underlying the baseline projections in USDA Agricultural Baseline Projections to 2013, and summarizes key results for the U.S. feed grains sector.

U.S.-Mexico Corn Trade During the NAFTA Era: New Twists to an Old Story profiles the growing corn trade between the two countries. While U.S. corn exports to Mexico have more than tripled since the North American Feed Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented, the majority of these exports are still yellow corn, which is used primarily to feed livestock. In contrast, Mexico's corn sector produces mostly white corn, which is used to manufacture tortillas and other traditional Mexican foods.

Is China's Corn Market at a Turning Point? reports that China curtailed corn exports in calendar year 2004 and may begin to import corn during marketing year 2004/05. Higher prices and increased shipping rates have kept U.S. corn out of the China market, but growing demand and limited production capacity will eventually make China a net importer of corn.

see all recommended readings. . .

recommended data products
Feed Grains Data Delivery System 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.

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 . . .

economic models
Spreadsheet models may be used to calculate corn and soybean yields, harvested acreage, and production by state or region, based on planted acreage, weather, and fertilizer application.

for more information, contact: Allen Baker
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: October 27, 2004