Corn and Other Feed Grains

This page provides information on:  

• Periodic and scheduled ERS publications and data on corn and other feed grains 
• Recent ERS publications related to feed grains

Corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the United States, accounting for more than 95 percent of total feed grain production and use. The other three major feed grains are sorghum, barley, and oats. Most of the corn crop provides the main energy ingredient in livestock feed. Corn is also processed into a wide range of food and industrial products—including cereal, alcohol, sweeteners, and byproduct feeds.

ERS provides a range of data products and reports on feed grain markets—including domestic and international supply, demand, trade, and prices.

Periodic and scheduled ERS publications and data on corn and other feed grains

• Feed Outlook, a monthly report that provides supply and use projections for U.S. and global feed markets, based on the most current World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.
• Feed Grains Database, a searchable database containing statistics on four feed grains (corn, grain sorghum, barley, and oats), foreign coarse grains (feed grains plus rye, millet, and mixed grains), hay, and processed feedstuffs.
• WASDE at a Glance, a monthly interactive visualization that provides key data and highlights from USDA's World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report on field crops, as well as livestock and dairy. 
• Commodity Costs and Returns, a data product that provides annual estimates of production costs and returns for major field crops, including corn.
• USDA's Agricultural Baseline Projections, an annual report published in February that offers 10-year projections for the farm sector from USDA's annual long-term analysis. The associated Baseline Database covers projections for the four major feed grains (corn, sorghum, barley, and oats) in addition to the other major feed crops and livestock.
• U.S. Bioenergy Statistics, a dataset that includes U.S. ethanol and biodiesel production, consumption, trade, and price series.

Recent ERS publications related to feed grains 

In addition to the periodic Outlook reports and data products, ERS publishes reports covering issues important to feed grain markets in the United States and around the world. 

• The Impact of Public Information on Commodity Market Performance: The Response of Corn Futures to USDA Corn Production Forecasts examines how USDA’s corn-output projections have a significant impact on corn futures. This report shows how the release of USDA’s WASDE report influences daily futures prices.
• U.S. Agricultural Exports to Colombia: Rising Sales in Response to Trade Liberalization and Changing Consumer Trends explores the performance of U.S. agricultural exports to Colombia over the past decade (2009-19), examining the top 10 exports and 5 additional exports that are among the fastest growing.
• Corn and Soybean Production Costs and Export Competitiveness in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States explores export competitiveness of soybeans and corn produced in the United States, Argentina, and Brazil by comparing farm-level production costs, the cost of internal transportation and handling, and the cost of shipping to a common export destination. In addition, the report analyzes prices received by farmers and average yields to calculate producer returns in these countries.