More from the MDA’s Marketing Team
Minnesota Agricultural Exports to China
The recent U.S.-China tariff dispute could potentially hurt Minnesota agricultural exports to China. Products like soybeans, pork, beef, wheat, corn, dried distiller’s grains (DDG), and ethanol could see tariff increases ranging from 15 to 25 percent.
China has been Minnesota’s top agricultural export market since 2010. Here are China’s rankings for some of Minnesota’s major commodities:
- Number 1 in soybeans, dairy, feed, animal hides, and alfalfa;
- Number 2 in hay;
- Number 3 in poultry;
- Number 4 in processed food, pork, and beef; and,
- Number 5 in wheat.
Learn More
Regional Soy Innovation
In 2017, soybean production among North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota represented 20 percent of all U.S. soybean production! The Northern Crops Institute will explore new soy frontiers of this miracle crop in a course called INTSOY, designed to teach processing methods and innovative applications of soybean ingredients in meat, beverages, baking, snacks, traditional soy foods, and animal feed products. The week-long course begins in Minneapolis on August 20 and travels through farms and processing facilities in North and South Dakota. More information and registration are available online. |
Did you know? Fish have hardy appetites for soy. The fastest-growing worldwide aquaculture industry depends on soy as a main protein ingredient in aqua feeds. According to the U.S. Soybean Export Council, 13,500,000 metric tons of soy products were used in aquaculture feed, with U.S. soy making up nearly 40 percent of that soy.
Minnesota Dairy Export Growth
Dairy is one of Minnesota’s fastest growing export commodities. From 2000 to 2017, Minnesota dairy exports from from $54 million to $251 million, nearly a fivefold increase. A global increase in dairy consumption and demand is behind much of the growth, and China is now Minnesota’s top dairy export market.
Minnesota Dairy Export Trend
(Million $)

*2017 preliminary |