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North Dakota has grown more soybeans over the past decade, but the crop’s path has not been a steady climb—and the available data do not show how much of the state’s exports go to China or how much biofuel demand caused its acreage growth. The clearer story is a larger, fluctuating crop, major U.S. export demand, and new North Dakota processing plants that give growers more nearby outlets.
North Dakota’s soybean crop is larger, but it fluctuates
USDA’s North Dakota Field Office reports that planted soybean acreage rose from 5.75 million acres in 2015 to 6.60 million in 2024. Production rose from 185.9 million bushels to 245.625 million over those years. Those start-and-end comparisons show expansion, not a smooth year-by-year increase: acreage, yields and total crop volume vary.
| Crop year | Planted acreage | Production | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5.75 million acres | 185.9 million bushels | USDA North Dakota Field Office 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin |
| 2024 | 6.60 million acres | 245.625 million bushels | Final figure in USDA North Dakota Field Office 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin |
| 2025 | Not stated in the cited overview | 223.905 million bushels | USDA 2025 State Agriculture Overview, based on Quick Stats data as of September 13, 2026; estimates may be revised |
The 2024 figure needs a forecast-versus-final distinction. USDA’s November 8, 2024 crop report forecast 251 million bushels, which it described as a record and 15% above 2023. The later annual bulletin lists 245.625 million as the 2024 production total. Use the later annual figure when describing the completed crop, rather than presenting the earlier forecast as the final result.
What is driving the market?
Export demand is substantial, but the China figures are national
The Office of the United States Trade Representative reports $1.2 billion in North Dakota soybean agricultural exports for 2024. That state figure establishes the value of the exports, but the profile does not break them down by destination.
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USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data show that U.S. soybean exports totaled $24.58 billion in 2024, including $12.84 billion to China. China was therefore a major destination for U.S. soybeans overall. Those national figures do not establish what share of North Dakota’s soybean exports went to China; applying the national destination split to the state would overstate what the data show.
Biofuel demand can affect the soybean market
USDA Economic Research Service explains that growing domestic demand for soybean oil, particularly for biofuels, affects U.S. soybean-oil and unprocessed-soybean exports. That is one way fuel markets can influence the value and uses of soybeans: oil can be directed to energy uses rather than exported as oil or embodied in whole-bean exports.
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This market mechanism does not quantify how much biofuel demand contributed to North Dakota’s increase in acreage or production. The state crop figures document the trend, while the USDA national analysis describes a broader demand force; they do not measure a state-specific cause.
Local crushing gives growers another outlet
Crushing plants process soybeans into oil and meal. Meal is used primarily for animal feed; oil has food uses and can also serve as a feedstock for renewable diesel. A local plant can give farmers another nearby buyer and reduce the need to ship unprocessed beans as far, although individual farm prices and savings depend on market terms, transport and other costs.
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| Facility | Location and reported scale | Market connection |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bison Soy Processing | Spiritwood; capacity of up to 150,000 bushels per day, according to the North Dakota Governor’s Office in 2023 | Supplies vegetable-oil feedstock to Marathon’s Dickinson renewable diesel refinery |
| North Dakota Soybean Processors | Casselton; reported first-year processing capacity of up to 42.5 million bushels when the facility opened in 2024 | Provides in-state soybean crushing; the cited opening announcement does not specify a particular end-buyer for its output |
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said at the Casselton facility’s August 7, 2024 opening that it would provide growers “a year-round local market” and help cut transportation costs. That describes the expected benefit of adding local processing; it is not a measured estimate of savings for every grower.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the boom does—and does not—mean for farm finances
More planted acres and more bushels can expand the crop available for sale, and a nearby processor can add a marketing option. Neither fact alone establishes that a farm’s income rose. Production volume is not revenue: crop prices, yields, input expenses, land costs, transport, basis and contract terms all affect the amount left after costs. The figures here describe state crop production and export values, not net returns for individual farms.
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For North Dakota, the evidence supports a qualified conclusion: soybean production expanded between 2015 and 2024 amid changing acreage and yields; export demand is economically important at both state and national scales; and new local crushers connect some of the crop to oil, meal and renewable diesel markets. It does not establish the state’s China-bound export share or isolate biofuel demand’s causal contribution to the crop’s growth.
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- ECONOMIC AND NUTRITIONAL: As the most economically important bean globally, soybeans provide essential vegetable protein for millions and are key ingredients in hundreds of chemical products. A 60-pound bushel of our soybeans seed yields about 11 pounds of crude soybean oil and 47 pounds of soybean meal. Beneficial for producing shelf-stable goods for long-term use.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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