Mexico surpassed China and Canada in 2024 to become the top export destination for U.S. agricultural products totaling a record $30.3 billion, according to .
The U.S. supplies roughly 70% of the country’s ag imports, , and almost all the grain and oilseeds it buys. The the U.S. will export about 1 billion bushels of corn, 235 million bushels of wheat, 240 million bushels of soybeans and 18 million bushels of sorghum to Mexico during the 2025-2026 marketing year.
During the past decade, corn exports to the country have soared 139%, while soybean and wheat sales have increased 61%, . Sorghum sales are projected to jump 29% this year alone. Mexico is also a burgeoning market for soybean meal and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). A drought the past two years in Mexico, which reduced its domestic crop yields, contributed to an uptick in imports.
Economic and demographic trends signal continued growth potential. Plus, Mexico has long been one of the U.S.’s strongest agricultural trading partners, backed by policies like the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. According to Ģֱ commodity experts, the cooperative system and farmers are well positioned to capitalize on these expanding opportunities.
“Mexico is a really good growth story for U.S. agriculture as trade flows continue to change,” says Brian Schouvieller, senior vice president of ag product lines with Ģֱ. “The proximity to the U.S. provides a unique competitive advantage for U.S. farmers. We can deliver products fairly easily by rail and ship.”
“The country offers competitive, year-round bids for corn, soybeans and wheat for our farmers, and demand for sorghum is on the rise,” he continues. “Most grain markets are mature, but Mexico stands out as a growth opportunity for U.S. grains.”
Positive trends
Mexico’s economy continues to grow as its gross domestic product increased 1.2% in 2024, . By 2030, the projects Mexico’s economy to exceed $2.1 trillion.
The Mexico’s population at nearly 132 million people in 2025, and it’s projected to exceed 155 million by 2060. , 37% of the population is in the middle class and the country continues to urbanize. Mexican consumers reportedly spend 35% of their rising wages on foods, beverages and tobacco, with the three main categories consisting of meat, grains and food preparations.
“The population and economy are growing, resulting in more demand for protein. That has resulted in more demand for grain and soybeans to feed its growing livestock industry,” Schouvieller says.
Schouvieller and Ryan Caffrey, vice president of feed grains product line with Ģֱ, both worked in Mexico for about a year more than a decade ago. They helped Proteinas y Oleicos, a key Ģֱ soybean customer, refine its marketing, buying and operating strategies to become a more resilient company.
At the time, both saw Mexico as a promising market for U.S. agricultural products. “Urbanization was accelerating, and the country’s food production and processing sectors were expanding — creating an increasingly attractive opportunity,” Caffrey explains.
Several factors have contributed to Mexico’s growing reliance on crop imports, according to Esteban Betancourt, who leads Ģֱ commodity trading in Mexico. cultivation of genetically modified corn in 2025. Water availability to grow crops is also an issue in the country, .
“Food consumption keeps climbing, but local production isn’t growing fast enough to keep up,” he explains. “That gap means Mexico will be importing more to meet demand.”
Cooperative advantage
About two-thirds of U.S. ag exports to Mexico are shipped by rail while the rest arrive by ship. Ģֱ and member cooperatives transport commodities to our southern neighbor utilizing shuttle train facilities and the Myrtle Grove export terminal in the Center Gulf.
“Mexico is an extension of the domestic market due to the rail system, and for customers who prefer the economy of scale a ship provides, we can accommodate that too,” Caffrey explains. “We have the logistics capabilities to serve customers. We can pull products from many locations to make sure they have what they need when they need it.”
In Mexico, building strong relationships is key to earning grain buyers’ trust, Betancourt says.
“Customers are more inclined to work with Ģֱ knowing they can communicate with my team in Spanish, and we understand the culture. Having an office in Mexico shows our commitment to serving them, which strengthens loyalty.”
When China temporarily stopped buying U.S. sorghum during the trade dispute in 2025, Mexico buyers stepped in to provide a market, buying about a dozen unit trains of sorghum for livestock feed, Betancourt adds. A unit train – typically 110 cars – holds about 450,000 bushels of sorghum.
“Thanks to our connections in Mexico, we were able find a market for sorghum that helped U.S. farmers and Ģֱ,” Betancourt says.
Many Mexican grain buyers like doing business with farmer-owned cooperatives, he continues. “It’s one of my main marketing tools. They like buying directly from farmers and knowing where the commodities are produced.”
One prominent flour miller in Mexico prefers buying hard red winter wheat from Kansas, Betancourt says. “That customer likes the quality of wheat from Kansas, and we can accommodate them. Some crushers request soybeans grown in the northern or southern states to meet certain protein needs [soybeans grown in northern regions tend to contain less protein], and we can accommodate that. Customer service and logistics sets us apart, which benefits our owners.”
Customer satisfaction
Grupo Trimex, Mexico’s largest flour milling company, typically purchases 20% to 25% of the country’s wheat imports from the United States, according to Guillermo Gomez, co-owner responsible for procurement, administration and logistics. Ģֱ serves as one of the company’s key suppliers.
Gomez cites delivery reliability, consistent grain quality and personalized service as the key reasons he values working with Ģֱ and the U.S. cooperative system.
“On-time delivery of high-quality grains is the most important thing we require as consumers,” he explains. “We have strong, long-term relationships with several Ģֱ commercial professionals who consistently add value by supporting our operations on a daily basis.”
