Corn Transportation Profile

AMS Transportation and Marketing Programs

1

August 2014

Executive Summary

America’s farmers depend on transportation as the critical link between the fields of growers and the tables of consumers, 

both here and abroad. Transportation is a derived demand because the production and consumption of an agricultural 

commodity create the demand for transportation services. As such, it is an essential part of marketing; any change in supply or

demand of the underlying commodity or commodities that compete for transportation services can affect the transport 

system’s efficiency by bringing about either shortages or surpluses in transportation capacity. This report examines 

transportation implications of the recent trends and outlook for U.S. corn. 

Key highlights:

 Since the mid-1990’s, U.S. corn production has increased by 88 percent, but acreage devoted to growing corn has 

increased by only 34 percent. As demand for corn increased dramatically between 2006 and 2013, especially for 

ethanol production, U.S. farms responded by boosting production and acreage.

 The United States remains the world’s largest exporter of corn. The U.S. market share of world corn exports, 

however, has been declining as the world corn trade has been increasing. 

 Corn prices, transportation costs, and the price of feed substitutes (such as distillers’ dried grains and feed-quality 

wheat) influence foreign demand for U.S. corn. Unexpected changes in export demand pose logistical challenges 

for U.S. grain shippers and carriers.

 If the projected long-term growth in corn exports materializes over the next 10 years, demand for barge and rail 

services will increase because corn exporters rely on these two modes of transportation to move the crops from 

the primary production regions of the United States to the ports on the West Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the 

Atlantic Ocean, and the Great Lakes. 

 The projected increase in feed use could also result in additional demand for truck and rail service. 

 Lower total transportation costs are a major variable in keeping U.S. agriculture competitive in overseas markets.

 The majority of corn exports are shipped through the Mississippi Gulf Coast (65 percent of 2013 corn exports), but 

ocean shipping cost spreads between the Mississippi Gulf Coast (MGC) and the Pacific Northwest (PNW) exceeding 

$30 generally lead to a greater proportion of Asia-bound corn being shipped by rail to ports in the PNW.

Marina R. Denicoff Marvin E. Prater Pierre Bahizi
2

Introduction

Transportation is an essential part of agricultural marketing. America’s farmers depend on an adequate and efficient 

transportation system to move their crops to market and to bring them inputs, both of which are usually transported 

great distances. 

Transportation demand is a derived demand because the production and consumption of an agricultural commodity create 

the demand for transportation services. As such, it is an essential part of marketing; any change in supply or demand of the

underlying commodity can affect the transport system’s efficiency by bringing about either shortages or surpluses in 

transportation capacity. Short-term agricultural transportation demand is influenced by weather-related transportation 

disruptions, variation in annual crop size and location, the timing of planting and harvesting, global trade patterns, crop quality 

concerns, competition in production by other countries, and commodity price fluctuations. These and other factors can 

translate into unexpected shifts in transportation patterns and costs, adding to the commodity price risk that must be 

managed by agricultural producers, processors, and shippers. 

The United States is the world’s largest producer and exporter of corn, accounting for 50 percent of the world corn trade each 

year during the past 10 years. Corn is the primary feed grain in the United States, making up 96 percent of feed grain 

production. Historically, the majority of corn grown in the United States has been used for animal feed. However, because of 

the rapid expansion of the ethanol and byproduct sector that began in 2005, the food, seed, and industrial uses category 

surpassed the feed use and residual category in the USDA’s corn supply and demand balance sheet in 2010.1 From 2007 to 

2011, an average of 15 percent of corn production was exported annually, but U.S. corn exports vary from year to year 

because of global supply and demand and price volatility.2 For example, during 2012/13, only 7 percent of corn production 

was exported due to the severe 2012 drought; according to the most recent USDA forecast, that share is expected to rebound 

to about 14 percent in 2013/14.

Most U.S. corn is produced in just seven States and is shipped by rail, barge, and truck to feedlots, feed mills, ethanol 

refineries, and ports for export.3 Corn exporters depend mostly on rail and barge services to move the crop to ports; domestic 

corn movements are primarily handled by trucks. Volatility in the corn export market creates an element of uncertainty in 

anticipating the demand for transportation services. 

This report analyzes transportation issues facing U.S. corn growers and shippers by reviewing supply and demand trends, the 

long-term outlook, modal shares, and transportation costs. 

Supply and Demand

Since the mid-1990’s, U.S. corn production has increased by 88 percent, but acreage devoted to growing corn has increased by 

only 34 percent (see figure 1). Most of the increase in corn production occurred between 2005 and 2013, caused mainly by 

the rapid expansion of the ethanol sector. During that period, U.S. farms responded to the increase in demand, with corn 

production and acreage increasing by 32 and 24 percent, respectively.4

 

1 The food, seed, and industrial uses category includes all corn processed in ethanol plants. Some of the byproducts of these plants are 

used as animal feeds, such as distillers' grains, corn gluten feed, corn gluten meal, and corn oil, and are included in this category.

2 USDA/Economic Research Service (ERS) <http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Corn/background.htm>.

3 USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Quickstats: Corn Production by State.

4 USDA/ERS, Feedgrains database Yearbook Tables, 2013. 
3

From 1995 to 2013, total demand for corn increased by 57 percent as food, seed and industrial use increased 293 percent, 

surpassing feed use as the largest source of domestic consumption and reflecting the growing importance of biofuels.5 In fact, 

during the 2011/12 growing season the use of corn for ethanol and byproducts (including distillers’ grains, corn gluten feed and

meal, and corn oil) accounted for 40 percent of total corn production.6 Demand for corn for feed rose by 13 percent, from 

4.69 billion bushels (bbu) in 1995/96 to 5.3 bbu projected for 2013/14, well below its peak of 6.14 bbu in 2004/05 (see Table 1). 

Figure 1: U.S. corn production and harvested acreage, 1995–2014*

*2014: the marketing year from Sep 1, 2013, to Aug 31, 2014. 2014 production and acreage are USDA initial projections, 

 May 2014.

Source: Analysis of Official USDA supply and demand data. <http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/index.htm>

<http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/feed-grains-database/feed-grains-yearbook-tables.aspx>.

5 USDA/ERS Corn Yearbook Tables, 2013.

6 USDA/World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB). WASDE-508, July 11, 2012. 

0

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14

16

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 Billion Bushels Million Acres

Production Harvested Acres
4

Table 1: U.S. corn supply, demand, and stocks/use, 1995-2013*, in million bushels

*USDA Estimates and Projections as of January 2014; updated with World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, April 2014

*2013: the marketing year is from September 1, 2012, to August 31, 2013. 

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Corn Yearbook Tables: Supply and Disappearance, 2013, Feed Outlook, January 2014, and World 

Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, April, 2014.

Supply Use

Year Beginning 

Stocks Production Imports Total Supply

Food, Seed 

and Alcohol Feed Exports Total Use

Ending 

Stocks

Ending 

Stocks/Use

1995 1,558 7,400 16 8,974 1,628 4,692 2,228 8,548 426 5%

1996 426 9,233 13 9,672 1,714 5,277 1,797 8,789 883 10%

1997 883 9,207 9 10,099 1,836 5,450 1,504 8,791 1,308 15%

1998 1,308 9,759 19 11,085 1,862 5,452 1,984 9,298 1,787 19%

1999 1,787 9,431 15 11,232 1,935 5,643 1,937 9,515 1,718 18%

2000 1,718 9,915 7 11,639 1,977 5,822 1,941 9,740 1,899 19%

2001 1,899 9,503 10 11,412 2,062 5,849 1,905 9,815 1,596 16%

2002 1,596 8,967 14 10,578 2,355 5,548 1,588 9,491 1,087 11%

2003 1,087 10,087 14 11,188 2,549 5,781 1,900 10,230 958 9%

2004 958 11,806 11 12,775 2,707 6,135 1,818 10,661 2,114 20%

2005 2,114 11,112 9 13,235 3,019 6,115 2,134 11,268 1,967 17%

2006 1,967 10,531 12 12,510 3,541 5,540 2,125 11,207 1,304 12%

2007 1,304 13,038 20 14,362 4,442 5,858 2,437 12,737 1,624 13%

2008 1,624 12,092 14 13,729 5,025 5,182 1,849 12,056 1,673 14%

2009 1,673 13,092 8 14,774 5,961 5,125 1,980 13,066 1,708 13%

2010 1,708 12,447 28 14,182 6,426 4,798 1,834 13,055 1,128 9%

2011 1,128 12,360 29 13,517 6,428 4,557 1,543 12,528 989 8%

2012* 989 10,780 162 11,932 6,046 4,333 731 11,111 821 7%

2013* 821 13,925 35 14,781 6,400 5,300 1,750 13,450 1331 10%
5

In addition to the large domestic corn demand, there is also substantial international demand for U.S. corn, demonstrating its 

global importance. The United States remains the world’s largest exporter of corn, despite a decrease in exports since the mid2000s caused by the global economic slowdown following the 2008 financial crisis and exacerbated by the 2012 drought.7

 The 

U.S. market share of world corn exports has been declining as world corn trade has been increasing (see figure 2). U.S. corn

faces competition from other exporting countries, including the countries of the Black Sea region, Brazil, Argentina, and South 

Africa.8 In some years, feed-quality wheat also competes with U.S. corn exports. 

Figure 2: Corn exports and U.S. share of world total, 1990-2013*

* World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, January 2014

Exports and U.S. share for 2012 and 2013 are estimates. (Marketing year 2013 is from September 1, 2012, to August 31, 2013.)

Source: Analysis of USDA’s official production, supply, and distribution data <http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/

index.htm>

7 http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/corn/background.aspx

8 Analysis of data in the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates reports <www.usda.gov/oce>. 

0%

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70%

80%

90%

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140

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

1990s 2000s 2010s Million Metric Tons U.S Share of Exports

U.S. Corn Exports

World Corn Exports

U.S. Share of World Corn Exports
6

Demand for corn exports has been more volatile than demand for corn for domestic feed use (see figure 3).9 From 2012 to 

2013, for example, export demand dropped by more than 50 percent, followed by a projected increase of almost 100 percent 

the following year (2013–2014). Many factors influence the demand from importing countries, including corn prices, 

transportation costs, price of feed substitutes (such as distillers’ dried grains and feed-quality wheat). Increases in export 

demand pose logistical challenges for grain shippers and carriers, especially during large harvests, as rail and barge carriers are 

called upon to deliver large amounts of grain to port in a relatively short period. On the other hand, a drought-induced 

reduction in U.S. corn production can result in a large drop in corn exports, as was the case during the 2012/13 marketing year. 

The significant reduction in crop size and exports resulted in a change in normal transportation patterns as areas that were 

short on feed grain sourced grain from regions further away by bidding up local prices.10 In addition, the slack demand and the 

excess transportation capacity may have been used to transport other products. 

9 USDA Economic Research Service Corn Yearbook Tables, 2013.

10 http://beefmagazine.com/markets/some-year-end-thoughts-corn-basis-drought 

Figure 3: Yearly percent changes in corn demand, feed and exports, 1997-2014*

* World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, January 2014

Demand for 2013 and 2014 are estimates.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service Corn Yearbook Table.

-100%

-50%

0%

50%

100%

150%

96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

Y/Y % Change

Feed Use Exports
7

Long-Term Outlook

Every year, USDA publishes a 10-year long-term outlook report that estimates supply and demand for many commodities, 

including corn (see figure 4). Corn for feed and food and industrial uses is hauled predominantly by truck. Export corn is 

predominantly hauled by barge and rail.

According to the February 2014 USDA long-term projections, U.S. corn exports are projected to rebound from the low during 

the 2012 drought of 19 million metric tons and trend upward to 57 million metric tons by 2024. However, the U.S. share of 

world corn exports only rises to 40 percent, well below the 65 percent average share during the two decades preceding 2011.11

If the projected growth in corn exports materializes over the next 10 years, demand for barge and rail services will probably

increase because corn exporters rely on these two modes of transportation to move the crops from the heartland of the United 

States to the ports on the West Coast, the Gulf, the Atlantic, and the Great Lakes. The projected increase in domestic feed use

could also result in additional demand for truck and rail service. At the same time, agricultural products are likely to face 

greater competition for transportation from other freight; total freight demand is projected to increase by 50 percent for all 

modes by 2040.12 

Figure 4: USDA long-term projections for corn, 2013-2022

11 USDA/ World Agricultural Outlook Board Agricultural Long-Term Projections to 2023, February 2014, page 21.

 <http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/projections/USDA_Agricultural_Projections_to_2023.pdf> (PDF)

12 U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Freight Analysis Framework.

 <http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/freight_analysis/nat_freight_stats/docs/11factsfigures/index.htm> 

Source: USDA/Office of the Chief Economist, Agricultural Long-Term Projections to 2022/23, February 2014

Production

Feed

Food and Industrial

Exports

 -

 2

 4

 6

 8

 10

 12

 14

 16

 18

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Bushels (billions)
8

Transportation Implications

Most U.S. corn is produced in the Midwest’s Corn Belt. In 2013, just six States—Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, 

and South Dakota—accounted for more than 65 percent of U.S. corn production. with Iowa alone producing 2.16 bbu, or 

slightly more than 15 percent of the U.S. total.13 

Corn is transported from the Midwest to ethanol refineries, feedlots, millers, and ports. The map in figure 5 illustrates how 

corn growers rely on rail and barge transportation to move corn from the farms in the Midwest to the port regions along the 

coasts, and on trucks for short-distance transportation to ethanol plants. 

Figure 5: Corn production, ethanol plants, export ports, and the transportation system

13 USDA/ NASS Quick-Stats, Corn Production by State. 

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service analysis of data from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service State and county level 

statistics 2013, and Federal Grain Inspection Service port inspection data, 2013.

*Grain Consuming Animal Units
9

Corn Modal Shares

For the 5 years between 2007 and 2011, corn accounted for 66 percent of total grain production (including corn, soybeans, 

wheat, sorghum, and barley) and 64 percent of all grains moved.14 Trucks are the primary mode of transportation for corn 

used domestically. Between 2007 and 2011, trucks moved 78 percent of domestically used corn, gradually increasing over that 

period to a peak of 81 percent in 2010 (see table 2). Rail transportation accounted for an average of 21 percent of domestic

corn movements, decreasing from 26 percent in 2007 to 19 percent in 2010. The barge share of domestic movements 

remained unchanged at 1 percent.15 The increase in the amount of corn transported by truck can be traced to the increased 

demand for ethanol. Most ethanol plants are located within 50 miles of corn-producing areas, and trucks are highly costeffective for short-distance transportation. They are usually more efficient than rail within about 250 miles between origin 

and destination.16

Corn being exported is mostly transported to major ports in the Gulf or Pacific Northwest by barge and/or rail. From 2007 to

2011, barges moved an average of 54 percent of export-bound corn, and rail moved 37 percent. Trucks accounted for only 9 

percent, transporting less export corn because most growing areas are far from ports. Delivering corn long distances from the 

heartland to major ports in the Gulf or Pacific Northwest is more efficient by water or rail.

Table 2: Corn modal shares, 2006-2011

14 Analysis of official supply and demand data. <http://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/index.htm>

15 USDA/Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Transportation of U.S. Grains: A Modal Share Analysis 1977-2010, March 2012. 

16 USDA/AMS. Grain Transportation Report, May 2012. 

Year & Type of Movement Rail Barge Truck 

1,000 Tons Percent 1,000 Tons Percent 1,000 Tons Percent

Total 

2007 78,650 27 37,407 13 174,937 60

2008 75,652 25 30,088 10 198,415 65

2009 69,803 23 32,147 11 201,853 66

2010 74,909 22 33,134 10 228,589 68

2011 72,059 22 29,434 9 226,736 69

5-year Average 74,215 24 32,442 11 206,106 66

Export 

2007 20,478 32 34,689 55 8,252 13

2008 24,615 42 27,457 47 6,803 12

2009 19,801 38 30,013 57 2,938 6

2010 22,070 40 31,174 57 1,692 3

2011 17,237 34 27,331 54 5,868 12

5-year Average 20,840 37 30,133 54 5,111 9

Domestic 

2007 58,171 26 2,718 1 166,684 73

2008 51,037 21 2,631 1 191,612 78

2009 50,002 20 2,135 1 198,915 79

2010 52,839 19 1,960 1 226,898 81

2011 54,822 20 2,102 1 220,868 80

5-year Average 53,374 21 2,309 1 200,995 78

Source: Transportation of U.S. Grains: A Modal Share Analysis 1978-2011. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, May 2013
10

Transportation Costs

An efficient U.S. transportation system facilitates the marketing of U.S. grain overseas because transportation costs—a major 

variable in total landed corn cost—are vital in keeping U.S. agriculture competitive. 

Figure 6 shows the relative costs (in dollars per metric ton) by mode of transportation (truck, rail, barge, ocean) of shipping 

corn from Minnesota to Japan, the largest importer of U.S. corn, through the Mississippi Gulf from 2005 to 2013. Total 

transportation costs (ocean, barge, and truck) averaged $101.16 per metric ton (mt) over the period, spiking from 2007 to 

2008. The rise in costs was due to increasing ocean shipping rates, which rose from $55.03 per mt in 2007 to a record high of 

$124.53 per mt in 2008, because of higher diesel fuel prices and increase in bulk shipping due to massive infrastructure 

development by China in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since 2009, the Gulf-to-Japan ocean rates have been 

relatively stable and averaged around $54.96 per mt. Fuel costs, port congestion, and strong global demand for bulk ocean 

services can all contribute to higher ocean transportation costs.

Figure 6: Transportation costs for corn exports, Minnesota to Japan through the Mississippi Gulf, 2005 to 2013

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Transportation Services Division, Grain Cost Estimators, 2014 (No barge data for first 

quarter, 2008-13. Data points were extrapolated.)

0

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160

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

$/mt

Ocean

Barge

Truck
11

Figure 7 shows the spread (difference) between ocean shipping costs for corn through the Mississippi Gulf and the Pacific 

Northwest (PNW). The spread widens or contracts when the ocean rate from the Gulf changes faster than the PNW rate. 

Although the majority of corn exports are shipped through the Mississippi Gulf, exceptionally large ocean spreads generally 

lead to an increased proportion of Asia-bound corn being shipped by rail to ports in the Pacific Northwest. From 2005 through 

2013, shipping through the Gulf was, on average, $24 per mt more expensive than shipping through the Pacific Northwest. 

Between Q1 2005 and Q1 2013, the largest spread was $52 per mt (Q2 2008) and the smallest spread was $9 (Q2 2006). 17

Several situations in 2008 contributed to the large Gulf-PNW ocean rate spreads, including flooding on the Mississippi River 

that caused the shutdown of barge shipping during spring and summer, extremely high ocean freight rates due to high fuel 

costs, and shipping demand that exceeded vessel supply. 

For the near future, projected excess of ocean vessels relative to shipping demand is expected to keep the ocean spreads 

relatively flat.

17 USDA/Agricultural Marketing Service, Grain Transportation Cost Indicators, 2013, based on data collected by Transportation 

Services Division. 

Figure 7: Spread of ocean transportation costs between Gulf-to Japan and Pacific Northwest-to-Japan 

trade routes (Gulf total costs minus Pacific Northwest total costs), 2005 to 2013, by quarter

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Transportation Services Division, Grain Transportation Cost 

Indicators, 2014

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2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Dollars per metric ton
12

Corn Exports by Port Region

In 2013, 65 percent of corn exports were shipped from the Mississippi River Gulf, 13 percent from the Pacific Northwest, and 

the rest from several other port locations (see figure 8). The five biggest markets for U.S. corn are Japan, Mexico, China, 

Venezuela, and Columbia, which together accounted for 85 percent of total exports in 2013.18

Conclusion

Growth in demand for U.S. corn production over the past 10 years occurred mostly in the domestic markets because of the 

increased use of corn for the production of ethanol and its byproducts. Over the next 10 years, however, USDA projects that 

most of the growth in demand for corn will occur in the export and domestic feed categories. If this growth materializes, U.S. 

farmers and shippers will increasingly require reliable, efficient, and economical long-distance transportation by rail, barge, 

and ocean vessels to deliver corn and byproducts to the export markets. Volatility in the export markets is usually greater than 

in the domestic markets, making year-to-year estimates of corn exports an important indicator of shifts in transportation 

demand. Over the long term, as total freight demand growth materializes, grain shippers will benefit from improvements to 

the transportation capacity and efficiency of the rail, water (inland waterways and ports), and truck sectors. 

18 Federal Grain Inspection Service, Grain Inspections, 2013. 

Figure 8: Corn export inspections* by port region, 2013 

Source: USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service grains inspections, 2013

* All grain leaving the United States is inspected by the Federal Grain Inspection Service, so this figure is a good measure of the total 

grain being exported.

0.3% 

1% 

1% 

13%

19% 

65% 

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700

California

Texas Gulf

Atlantic

Pacific Northwest

Interior

Mississippi Gulf

Million Bushels
13

For more information, contact Marina Denicoff, (202) 690-3244, Marina.Denicoff@ams.usda.gov

Preferred citation:

Denicoff, Marina R., Marvin E. Prater, and Pierre Bahizi. Corn Transportation Profile. U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Agricultural Marketing Service, August 2014. Web. <http://dx.doi.org/10.9752/TS090.08-2014>

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