An independent study conducted by World Perspectives, Inc. revealed a record value of beef and pork exports brought significant returns to the U.S. corn and soybean industries in 2022.

The study, released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation, found U.S. beef and pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 15% per bushel to the value of corn and 13% per bushel to soybeans in 2022.

Last year’s beef and pork exports accounted for 503.4 million bushels of U.S. corn usage, equating to a market value of $3.4 billion.

“For every bushel of corn we marketed in 2022, a little over $1 was attributed to red meat exports, and with soybeans, pork exports contributed $1.94 per bushel,” said USMEF Chair Dean Meyer, who grows corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs in Iowa. “Pork and beef exports bring critical support to our bottom lines.”

Corn and soybean growers invest a portion of their checkoff dollars in market development efforts conducted by USMEF to support the international promotion of U.S. pork, beef and lamb.

“We are a major exporter of corn and soybeans, but this study reminds us of the value of our indirect exports of corn and soybeans through pork and beef,” Dave Juday, senior analyst for World Perspectives, said. “The contributions of pork and beef exports to the per-bushel value of U.S. corn and soybeans in 2022 were the highest estimates we’ve seen to date. And that was critically important, as corn and soybean farmers worked to maintain margins with higher input costs across the board.”

Beef and pork exports accounted for 3.42 million tons of dried distillers grains (DDGS) usage, equating to $834 million.

Pork exports accounted for 89.7 million bushels of U.S. soybean usage, which equated to a market value of $1.33 billion and contributed an estimated total economic impact of 13% of bushel value.

Learn more about the impact of red meat exports at the national level and on the leading corn-producing and soybean-producing states at the USMEF website.