M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Agriculture in the U.S. - statistics & facts
In the last few years, the agriculture sector has contributed over 200 billion U.S. dollars in net added value to the U.S. GDP annually. Alone in 2023, the export value of agriculture products in the U.S. amounted to over 170 billion U.S. dollars. As a result of very diverse climates, and natural resources, the ecosystem in the United States can support a variety of different crops. Corn is the leading crop in terms of production volume in the United States. Soybeans are another major crop produced in the U.S., and one which has exhibited an upward trend in production over the last two decades.
Farmland area in the U.S. is reducing
Across the U.S. there are numerous farms of various sizes. In 2023, the total number of farms stood at just under 1.9 million, a significant drop compared to 2.2 million farms in 2010. From 2000 onwards, the total farmland area has also decreased annually. Over that time period, the total farmland area decreased by over 66 million acres, reaching a total of 878.6 million acres as of 2023. The real estate value of farmable land and buildings, however, has increased by two trillion dollars over the last nine years. Farming also involves significant production costs. A closer look at the composition of these costs shows that feed made up the largest share, followed by costs associated with farm services, livestock and poultry. Labor accounted for just 10 percent of farm expenditure in the U.S. in 2023.Genetically modified crops in the U.S.
The United States has by far the highest acreage of genetically modified crops worldwide. Some of the major crops especially, have a very high share of genetically modified production. For example, the area of non-biotech corn in the U.S. was about seven percent of total corn area production in 2022. Over the last decade, the issue of genetic engineering has increasingly been on the agenda. In fact, half of the American consumers now prefer to buy food products that are non-GMO certified.
