Ag exports in the 2016 fiscal year will hit $138.5 billion, with $8.6 billion of that total coming from corn exports and $2.1 billion coming from sorghum exports, according to the recently-released Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA report projected all grain and feed exports – including barley, corn, forage and hay, grain sorghum, oats, rice, rye and wheat – will be up by $1.1 billion from 2015 and total $32.4 billion in 2016. Despite lower prices, the USDA credits the increase in exports to higher grain volume and demand.

This growth in demand is likely to continue as more countries see population growth, continuing urbanization, increases in disposable income and dietary shifts towards high-value calories like meat, milk and eggs.

Data released in the 2015 Revision of World Population Prospects report by the United Nations (UN) projects a world population growth of approximately 53 percent in the next 80 years, growing from 7.3 billion people now to 11.2 billion people in 2100. Africa and Asia are projected to account for 83 percent of the global population increase, totaling 4.4 and 4.9 billion people respectively.

All of these dynamics will present U.S. farmers with opportunities for export growth in the future, which the grains industry is working to seize through market development and promotion programs around the globe.

More information on the importance of exports for U.S. farmers is available in the U.S. Grains Council’s third segment of a video infographic series. Check out the full video infographic below.