Feed Crop Takeaways
Takeaways are key points detailed and referenced in the Feed Crop Figures & Conversion section
Feed Crop Figures
The amount of crop production and land usage devoted to feeding farmed animals is much larger than commonly understood.
Feed crop production for factory farming is the central output of U.S. croplands. It is not in the interest of the USDA or the ag industry to highlight this fact.
The top 3 U.S. crops – corn, soybeans, and hay – are primarily feed crops.
Together, these 3 crops make up almost three-quarters (~73%) of all harvested cropland.
The U.S. uses the majority – at least 55% – of its exceptionally fertile cropland to grow feed specifically for farmed animals.
Of all crops grown for food, more than 60% goes to animal feed (taking out cotton production and corn usage for ethanol).
These feed usage figures are underestimated; there are many additional uses for which firm data is unavailable.
Feed crops use extensive amounts of scarce resources, including water, fertile land, and fertilizers; production practices for these monoculture crops are central drivers of pollution, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.
Corn, Soybeans, and Hay
About 64% of corn – the #1 U.S. crop by acreage and production volume – went to animal feed in 2024.
About 58% of soybeans – the #2 U.S. crop – went to animal feed in 2024; this is based on the relative value of coproducts. Evaluating by weight, ~75% went to animal feed.
About 95% of hay – the #3 U.S. crop – went to animal feed in 2024.
Acreage devoted to corn, soybeans, and hay is about 50 times the acreage devoted to vegetables.
Factory farming requires the delivery of astonishing amounts of corn and soybeans. In 2024, approximately 770 pounds of soybeans and 2,440 pounds of corn were produced for every American, mostly for animal feed.