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Soybeans and Oil Crops

This page provides information on:  

The United States is the world's second-leading soybean producer and the 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, Economic Research Service (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 (WASDE).
  • World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates at a Glance is a monthly interactive visualization that provides key data and highlights from USDA's WASDE on field crops as well as livestock and dairy.  
  • Oil Crops Yearbook provides annual 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 Yearbook contains statistics on feed grains, foreign coarse grains, hay, and related items (i.e. oilmeals and animal and grain-protein feeds).
  • 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.
  • Season-Average Price Forecasts This data product provides models and forecasts of Season-Average prices for commodities including corn, soybeans, wheat, and upland cotton. The models also compute forecasts for PLC payment rates and county/individual Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC-CO/ARC-IC) prices based on the Season-Average price model forecasts. Recent and historical forecasts and their input data are provided in csv files. An Excel file that allows users to enter new input data (futures prices, basis, and marketing percentage) and create new forecasts is also provided.
  • Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (FATUS) provides summaries of recent U.S. agricultural exports and imports, volume and value by country, commodity, and calendar year, fiscal year, and month. Some tables are updated monthly, while others are updated annually.
  • Food Consumption (Per Capita) Data System provides estimates of availability for several hundred foods available for human consumption, including added fats and oils, as well as peanuts and tree nuts.

Recent USDA, ERS Reports Covering Soybeans and Other Oil Crops

In addition to the periodic Outlook reports and data products, 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:

  • "Estimating Biomass-Based Diesel Feedstock Availability" in Oil Crops Outlook: May 2026: Feedstock production, use, and trade have been reshaped by the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard and State-level policies. This special article provides an overview of current biofuel policies and the assumptions behind the forecast for feedstock usage in marketing year (MY) 2026/27, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final Renewable Volumes Obligations (RVO) for 2026 and 2027.
  • "Estimating Biomass-Based Diesel Feedstock Availability in Marketing Years (MY) 2018/19-2023/24" in Oil Crops Outlook: February 2025  Feedstock demand for biomass-based diesel production in the United States has been increasing supplied by higher imports. This study assesses the domestic and foreign feedstock supply available to the U.S. market from MY 2018/19 through MY 2023/24.
  • "U.S. Soybean Meal Exports Rise to Record High" Oil Crops Outlook: January 2025 U.S. soybean processors have continued to increase their crush volumes to meet the growing demand for soybean oil as a feedstock in biomass-based diesel production and exportable supplies. This special article analyzes the expansion of U.S. soybean meal exports in MY 2023/24 and the potential for exports in MY 2024/25.
  • "U.S. Olive Oil Consumption in the 21st Century" Oil Crops Outlook: November 2024Olive oil consumption in the United States has grown in the 21st century due to its healthy nutrition attributes and unique flavor and taste. This special article looks at production, consumption, and trade trends in the U.S. olive oil market and how trade flows have been impacted in MYs 2022/23 and 2023/24.
  • "Animal Fats and Processed Oil Imports Expanding Under Current U.S. Biofuel Policies" in Oil Crops Outlook: July 2024 U.S. biofuel policies at the Federal and State levels created new demand for feedstocks, pushed vegetable oil and animal fats prices to record highs, reduced exports, and incentivized imports. This special article analyzes the expansion of animal fats and process oil imports and the implication for the U.S. domestic vegetable oil markets.
  • "U.S. Soybean Seeding Rates Affected by Technological Advancements" in Oil Crops Outlook: May 2024 Between 1997 and 2018, soybean seeding rates declined on U.S. farms. This decline has been accompanied by increased crop row widths along with other changes in farming practices, technologies, and seed costs. This special article analyzes farm-level data on soybean seeding rates and provides updated methodology for calculating the use of soybean seed in the U.S.
  • "U.S. Biofuel Policies Impact on Vegetable Oil Trade" in Oil Crops Outlook: December 2023 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 2002 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" in Oil Crops Outlook: April 2022 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.
  • 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 This 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.

Other Recommended Data

  • Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS) contains detailed agricultural trade data between the United States and its trading partners. Standard Bulk, Intermediate and Consumer (BICO) reports are available for general information, and detailed queries can be performed by product group or HS code. Searches can be saved and results sent by email on a recurring basis.

  • 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 on major crop and livestock commodities from more than 200 countries.

  • Quick Stats: Agricultural Statistics Database offers U.S., State, and County-level agricultural statistics for many commodities and data series. Quick Stats offers the ability to query by commodity, State, and year. The dataset can be downloaded for easy use in a database or spreadsheet.