Overview

This page provides information on:  

• Periodic, Scheduled Outputs
• Recent ERS Reports Relating to Soybeans & Oil Crops

The United States is the world's leading soybean producer and the second-leading exporter. Soybeans comprise over 90 percent of U.S. oilseed production, and other oilseeds, including peanuts, sunflowerseed, canola, and flax, make up the remaining production.

Periodic, Scheduled Outputs 

USDA, ERS provides a range of data products and reports on oil crops markets including domestic and international supply, demand, trade, and prices. Periodic, scheduled outputs include:

• Oil Crops Outlook is a monthly publication that provides supply and use projections for U.S. and global oil crops markets based on USDA’s most current World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
• World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates at a Glance is a monthly interactive visualization that provides key data and highlights from USDA's World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) on field crops as well as livestock and dairy.  
• Oil Crops Yearbook Tables make up an annual dataset that provides statistics on U.S. supply and use of oilseed, oilmeal, and fats and oils. The data include oilseed acreage, yield, and production estimates as well as farm and wholesale price series.
• Feed Grains Database is a searchable database containing statistics on soybeans and other oil crops.
• Commodity Costs and Returns is a data product that provides annual estimates of production costs and returns for major field crops, including soybeans.
• Long-Term Agricultural Baseline Projections is USDA’s annual report published in February that offers 10-year projections for the farm sector from USDA's annual long-term analysis. The associated Agricultural Baseline Database covers projections for the four major feed grains (i.e., corn, sorghum, barley, and oats) in addition to the other major feed crops and livestock.
• U.S. Bioenergy Statistics is a dataset that includes U.S. ethanol and biodiesel production, consumption, and trade data.

Recent USDA, ERS Reports Relating to Soybeans and Oil Crops

In addition to the periodic Outlook reports and data products, USDA, ERS publishes reports covering issues important to oil crops markets in the United States and around the world. Recent USDA, ERS reports relating to oil crops include:

• U.S. Biofuel Policies Impact on Vegetable Oil Trade: Strong demand for vegetable oils driven by the U.S. biofuel policy has created a wedge between U.S. prices and world prices, which has impacted global vegetable oil and processed oil trade volumes. This special article analyzes the structural change that the biofuels policy brought to the U.S. vegetable oil trade flows and its major trading partners in marketing year (MY) 2022/23.
• Soybean Production, Marketing Costs, and Export Competitiveness in Brazil and the United States: This study compares the differences between farm-level production costs and returns for soybeans in the United States and Brazil in the 2017/18–2021/22 period for the most productive growing regions in each country.
• Characteristics and Trends of U.S. Soybean Production Practices, Costs, and Returns Since 2022: This study uses nationally representative survey data of U.S. soybean farmers (along with costs and returns data) to examine how production practices, export demand, public policy, and environmental factors have changed over the past 20 years.
• Examining Record Soybean Oil prices in 2021/22: Soybean oil has broad applications across many industries, so the market is dynamic. Soybean oil prices started surging in spring 2021 toward record highs in 2022. Lower international supplies of alternative vegetable oils fostered competition for soybean oil in the global market and growth in domestic demand for biofuels escalated soybean oil prices.
• Sunflower Oil and Its Contribution to the Global Vegetable Oil Market: Sunflower oil accounts for 12 percent of global food consumption and Ukraine is a major supplier of the sunflowerseed oil. This study examines the impact of sunflowerseed oil supply for MY 2021/22 due to a conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine accounts for 50 percent of the global sunflowerseed oil trade, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalated an already tight vegetable oil market.
• Brazil's Agricultural Competitiveness: Recent Growth and Future Impacts under Currency Depreciation and Changing Macroeconomic Conditions: The effects of changing macroeconomic conditions on Brazil's agricultural production and trade are examined by simulating impacts of accelerated depreciation of its exchange rate and sustained economic growth. exchange rate and sustained economic growth.
• Evaluating U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Long-Term Forecasts for U.S. Harvested Area: This report analyzes the accuracy of the historical baseline projections for U.S. corn, soybean, and wheat harvested area for the period from 1997 to 2017. The report finds that statistical modeling approaches have the potential to improve the performance of USDA’s baseline projections.
• Impacts on India's Farmers and Processors of Reducing Soybean Import Barriers: This study examines the potential impacts on Indian farmers and processors of reducing barriers to soybean imports. Model-based simulations find that with imported soybeans, processors could more fully utilize their existing crush capacity, reduce their unit costs, and sharply expand their sales volumes and revenues—leading to substantial economic benefits.
• Interdependence of China, United States, and Brazil in Soybean Trade: report reviews factors driving China's imports of soybeans and production in Brazil and the United States, price dynamics, and market adjustments to China's retaliatory tariff on U.S. soybeans.