U.S. agricultural exports set a new record of $152.5 billion in fiscal year 2014 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is an 8% gain over last year’s record of $141.1 billion. Commodities with the largest gains, in terms of value, were corn (up 99% over 2013), dairy products (up 21%) and soybeans (up 17%). Commodities that were down by value compared to last fiscal year were wheat (down 19%), cotton and linters (down 18%), live animals (down 16%) and vegetable oils (down by 16%).
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said, “American farmers and ranchers have once again achieved another year of record exports. Agricultural exports have climbed 41% in value over the past five years. U.S. agricultural exports have increased in volume as well as in monetary value, which demonstrates an increasing global appetite for high-quality, American-grown products.”
