Tennessee Corn: A Global Commodity

With around 95 percent of the global population living outside of the United States, the importance of agricultural exports to Tennessee, American farmers and the U.S. economy cannot be understated. 

Agricultural exports account for 10 percent of all national exports and help support nearly one million American jobs. In fact, 31 percent of farm income is obtained directly from exports. Additionally, one out of every three crop acres planted in the United States will be shipped out of the country in some form. In Tennessee, the 2020 grain trade contributed almost $344.5 million to Tennessee’s economy. 

The process of identifying, developing, and sustaining markets for Tennessee corn is a multifaceted endeavor that requires an all-hands-on-deck mentality. Members of Tennessee Corn partner with organizations like the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) to grow our export markets. 

 USGC works around the world, and around the clock, to build demand opportunities for U.S. corn, barley and sorghum, and value-added products including ethanol, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and other co-products, as well as the corn equivalent of exported meat products. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and USGC, U.S. exports of grains in all forms (GIAF) rose by 28.3 percent, reaching an all-time high during the 2020/2021 marketing year. And for U.S. corn, exports rose by 55 percent in 2020/2021 from the previous marketing year, totaling 2.7 billion bushels.