The U.S. agriculture industry's 2021 exports were the highest ever recorded, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last month.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Feb. 8 that the Department of Commerce's (DOC) finalized trade data for 2021 reports that the U.S. exported $177 billion in farm and food exports globally. The total is a 14.6 percent increase over the previous record of $150 billion, set in 2014, and 18 percent higher than 2020 totals, the announcement states.

“These record-breaking trade numbers demonstrate that U.S. agriculture is incredibly resilient as it continues to provide high-quality, cost-competitive farm and food products to customers around the globe," Secretary Vilsack said in the announcement, "and that the Biden-Harris Administration’s agenda is working for American farmers and producers."

DOC data reports all of the top 10 markets for U.S. agriculture products grew in 2021; new export records were set with six countries - China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Columbia, and the Phiilipines - the USDA reports. Corn, distillers grains, soybeans, beef, pork, dairy and pet-food products also set records for global exports. 

China maintained its position as the top destination for U.S. agriculture products, purchasing a record $33 billion in goods last year, a 25 percent increase over the previous year, USDA reports. Mexico passed Canada to become the second-highest export destination for the U.S., with a new record of $25.5 billion in exports, a 39 percent rise from 2020.

“It’s clear that our international trading partners are responding favorably to a return to certainty from the United States,” Secretary Vilsack said in the announcement.

Vilsack thanked U.S. agriculture producers "who always work hard to be reliable global suppliers," and reiterated the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA's commitment to "fighting hard on their behalf to keep our home-grown products moving around the world."

“This is a major boost for the economy as a whole," Vilsack said, "and particularly for our rural communities, with agricultural exports stimulating local economic activity, helping maintain our competitive edge globally, supporting producers’ bottom lines, and supporting more than 1.3 million jobs on the farm and in related industries such as food processing and transportation.”