The United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement solidifies our country’s most important and strategic trade relationships with our neighbors and best customers, promising future economic growth in tandem with these most valued partners.

Geographic proximity, duty-free access first provided by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and decades of market development work have established both Mexico and Canada as large and growing markets for U.S. feed grains in all forms (GIAF).

Mexico claimed the top spot for imports of U.S. GIAF in the 2019/2020 marketing year at 23.7 million metric tons (equivalent to 933 million bushels), valued at $6.65 billion. By commodity, Mexico was the top international buyer of U.S. corn, distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and barley/barley products; the second largest global destination for U.S. sorghum; and the seventh biggest market for exports of U.S. ethanol.

U.S. GIAF exports to Canada were the third highest on record in 2019/2020. Overall, Canada was the fourth largest buyer of U.S. GIAF in the marketing year, with imports of 7.07 million metric tons (equivalent to 278 million bushels), valued at $3.08 billion. The country ranked as the largest global buyer of U.S. ethanol, second-largest global buyer of U.S. barley/barley products, the sixth largest global buyer of U.S. corn, and eighth largest global buyer of U.S. DDGS.

From negotiations to ratification, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) worked with the U.S. agriculture industry and government as well as with Canadian and Mexican corn, sorghum, barley, co-products and ethanol customers to ensure the needs of the U.S. grains sector and its valued customers were met.

During the negotiating period, the Council frequently hosted Mexican buyers to the United States, sent U.S. farmers on missions to Mexico and continued to share the importance of trade relationships with stakeholders in both countries.

With enforcement of USMCA as the guiding document of our mutual trading relationship begins, the Council looks forward to many prosperous years of trade between U.S. farmers and partners in Mexico and Canada.