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In 2023, the U.S. harvested 500 million metric tons of corn—a volume so immense it would fill over 1,000 of the , each with a 400,000 metric ton capacity.Naturally, this enormous amount of corn, along with other major crops, requires a vast amount of land. In this graphic, we compare the size of farmlands needed for growing corn, soybeans, hay, and wheat to similarly-sized countries around the world.Data for visualization was sourced from the and the .
How Much Land is Required to Grow America’s Big Four Crops?
The U.S. devoted more than the entire area of Malaysia (127,000 miles² or 329,000 km²) to growing corn in 2023. Corn is a key caloric ingredient in animal feed, as well as for creating high fructose corn syrup, used as a sweetener in many processed foods and beverages.
Note: Figures rounded.
Meanwhile, America’s soybean crop could cover all of Finland, an area measuring 117,000 mi² or 304,000 km².Like corn, soybean is also primarily for animal feed. Other uses include vegetable oil production and biodiesel, and for export to countries like China.Together, just both these crops (274,000 mi² or 710,000 km²) could replace Myanmar, the 40th largest country in the world.Unsurprisingly, the third most harvested crop, hay, is also for animals, particularly for the dairy and beef industries, which rely on a steady supply of high-quality forage. Hay croplands could blanket all of Syria (71,000 mi²).And finally the farmland required to grow America’s staple grain, wheat, could replace Nepal (55,000 mi²). The U.S. is the fourth-largest in the world, accounting for 45 million metric tons in 2023.More By This Author:
How America’s Major Crop Farmlands Compare To Entire Countries
