Gitnux/Report 2026

Crop Industry Statistics

300Statistics
78Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
46mRead
Crop Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The crop industry at a glance

Global crop production spans 1.5 billion hectares, with cereals reaching 3.1 billion tonnes in 2024 as output growth increasingly depends on yields rather than land expansion.

1.5B ha[27]
Main crop area, 2024
3.1Gt[27]
Global cereal output, 2024
1.2Gt[27]
Oil crop output, 2024
$4.2T[27]
Agriculture value added, 2024
Market size
The global agricultural sector generated $4.2 trillion in value added in 2024, up 3.1% from $4.1 trillion in 2023. Within crop production, the main primary-crop harvested area reached 1.5 billion hectares in 2024.[27]
Forecast & CAGR
Global cereal production is projected to grow by approximately 1.1% annually through 2034, reaching 3.2 billion tonnes. Yield growth is projected at 0.9% annually, while cereal harvested-area growth slows to 0.14% annually.[4]
Market share & regions
Asia and the Americas remain the largest regional contributors to global agricultural output. For cereals, the five largest producing countries for each commodity are projected to account for 51% to 72% of global production by 2035; Africa is projected to post 2.3% annual cereal-production growth and Latin America and the Caribbean 1.8%.[4][27]
Segmentation
By commodity, 2024 global output included 3.1 billion tonnes of cereals, 1.2 billion tonnes of oil crops and 2.2 billion tonnes of sugar crops. Sugar cane, maize, rice and wheat are the largest individual primary crops by volume.[27][70]
Key players & concentration
Crop production is fragmented among millions of farms, but commodity output is concentrated geographically. The five largest producing countries are projected to supply between 51% and 72% of global production for individual cereal commodities by 2035.[4]
Pricing
U.S. preliminary 2025 average producer prices were $4.10 per bushel for corn, $10.20 for soybeans and $4.75 for all wheat. Internationally, the FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026, down 1.2% month on month but 5.9% above October 2025.[45][27]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Future growth is expected to come mainly from yield improvements because urbanisation and environmental policies constrain agricultural-land expansion. Key risks include weather shocks, geopolitical disruptions, transport constraints and input availability; the OECD-FAO outlook projects a 6.5% increase in direct agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions by 2035.[4][27]
Latest news
In its November 6, 2026 update, FAO reported that the Food Price Index fell 1.2% in October 2026 as cereal, dairy and meat prices eased, while sugar prices rose 6.6% month on month and 28.8% year on year. FAO attributed cereal-price pressure to subdued demand, harvest-related U.S. maize supply and improving production prospects in Argentina, while Black Sea logistics remained a constraint.[27]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Crop Industry

The leading companies in the crop industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Bunge leads Gitnux's 2026 crop ranking with an Overall score of 9.3, with revenue growth 32.5% and operating margin 2.2%. Cargill is the runner-up at 9.2, with revenue growth 6.5%.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in grain origination & processing

    Bunge

    CH

    Ranked #1 · 9.3 · Grain origination & processing

    Why we picked it: It integrates grain origination and oilseed processing, with 32.5% revenue growth and 2.2% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit bunge.com ↗

  2. Leader in seeds & crop protection

    Corteva

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Seeds & crop protection

    Why we picked it: It spans seeds and crop protection with $17.4 billion in 2025 net sales across the two businesses.

    See in ranking ↓Visit corteva.com ↗

  3. Leader in crop nutrition & fertilizers

    Yara

    NO

    Ranked #4 · 9.1 · Crop nutrition & fertilizers

    Why we picked it: It targets crop nutrition and fertilizers, posting $15.7 billion revenue in 2025 and 10% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit yara.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the crop industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Bunge

Grain origination & processing · CH

9.3
2

Cargill

Grain origination & processing · US

9.2
3

Corteva

Seeds & crop protection · US

9.1
4

Yara

Crop nutrition & fertilizers · NO

9.1
5

Syngenta Group

Seeds & crop protection · CH

8.8
6

UPL

Crop protection and agricultural inputs · IN

8.7
7

Nutrien

Fertilizers and agricultural retail worldwide · CA

8.7
8

Bayer

Seeds, traits and crop protection worldwide · DE

8.6
9

BASF

Seeds and crop protection worldwide · DE

8.3
10

ICL Group

Potash, phosphate and specialty fertilizers · IL

8.3

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the crop industry. In Crop Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/crop-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest crop companies

BASF leads with $64.4B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

BASF$64.4B
Bayer$49.2B
Syngenta Group$28.4B
Corteva$17.4B
Yara$15.7B
source-verifiedreport.basf.com · reports.bayer.com · syngentagroup.com · investors.corteva.com · yara.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Adoption gaps show up in reported AI and data use: 80% of farmers using agricultural data analytics reported better decision-making in 2024, while 83% of EU27 companies reported AI productivity gains below 1%.

AI in the crop industry

  • 80% of farmers using agricultural data analytics reported better decision-making in 2024.[1]
  • 27% of U.S. farms or ranches used precision-agriculture practices to manage crops or livestock in 2023.[2]
  • 3.23% of surveyed EU27 agri-food companies reported AI productivity gains exceeding 30% of annual turnover in 2024.[3]
  • 83% of surveyed EU27 agri-food companies said AI adoption increased productivity by less than 1% of annual turnover in 2024.[3]
  • 5.0% of German farms used AI or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[4]
  • AI-enabled precision irrigation and fertilization can increase crop yields by 25%, according to a 2024 agriculture-technology review.[1]

Automation in the crop industry

  • 9% of small U.S. crop farms, 52% of midsize farms, and 70% of large farms used guidance autosteering in 2023.[5]
  • 12.5% of surveyed EU27 agri-food companies reported robotics productivity gains exceeding 30% of annual turnover in 2024.[3]
  • 20.0% of German farms used drones in 2024–2025.[4]
  • 20% of surveyed EU27 agri-food companies reported robotics productivity gains below 1% of annual turnover in 2024.[3]
  • 70% of surveyed specialty-crop growers reported investing in automation during 2022.[6]
  • 0.8% of German farms used field robots in 2024–2025.[4]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[7]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[3]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[3]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[3]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[3]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[4]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[4]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[4]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[4]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[4]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[4]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[8]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[3]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[8]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[3]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[4]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[3]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 307 startups focused on artificial intelligence and big data were formed between 2015 and 2023.[3]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Operational data governance remains uneven: 42% of manufacturers cited poor-quality data among top AI-related challenges in 2024, while 61% reported a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.

Business intelligence in the crop industry

  • 52% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used guidance autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 70% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used guidance autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 13% of small U.S. family farms used yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[5]
  • 55% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[5]
  • 12% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used drones in 2023.[5]

Data analytics in the crop industry

  • 38% of U.S. farmers used remote-sensing technologies in 2024.[7]
  • 21% of Spanish agricultural farms reported using AI to analyse farm-generated data in 2022.[4]
  • 51% of U.S. farmers used precision-agriculture hardware in 2024.[7]
  • 56% of global row-crop growers used digital agronomy for yield monitoring in 2024.[7]
  • 40% of global specialty-crop farmers used digital agronomy for yield monitoring in 2024.[7]
  • 77% of Irish tillage farmers used GPS guidance or steering in 2019.[4]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[9]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[9]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[9]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[10]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[10]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[11]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[9]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[12]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[12]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[12]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[9]

KPIs in the crop industry

  • 5% of small U.S. family farms used variable-rate technology to manage input application in 2023.[5]
  • 13% of small U.S. family farms tracked yields through yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[5]
  • 52% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used autosteering, a field-operation efficiency indicator, in 2023.[5]
  • 55% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms tracked yields through yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[5]
  • 45% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used variable-rate technology to manage input application in 2023.[5]
  • 32% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used variable-rate technology to manage input application in 2023.[5]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Investment signals appear as R&D and capital intensity: Bayer’s Crop Science invested more than €2 billion annually in R&D in 2025, and Adecoagro reported $274.2 million capex in 2024.

Growth in the crop industry

  • $274.2 million was Adecoagro’s capital expenditure in 2024, including maintenance and expansion spending.[13]
  • Six facilities formed Local Bounti’s greenhouse network after expansion in 2024.[14]
  • More than €2 billion was invested annually by Bayer’s Crop Science division in research and development in 2025.[15]
  • 60% of Edible Garden’s growing capacity was in operation at its facility in 2024.[16]
  • $250.2 million was Adecoagro’s capital expenditure in 2023.[13]
  • $229.1 million was Adecoagro’s capital expenditure in 2022.[13]

Differentiation in the crop industry

  • Three product areas—digital farming, market access and biotechnology—were identified by Bayer as differentiated solutions for smallholder farmers in 2025.[15]
  • Four differentiated channels formed Corteva’s seed-segment route to market in 2023.[17]
  • Three crop categories—soybeans, corn and cotton—accounted for more than half of U.S. seed sales by two firms during 2018–2020.[5]
  • Four firms—Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta Group and BASF—dominated the majority of U.S. crop-seed and agricultural-chemical sales during 2018–2020.[5]

Mergers and acquisitions in the crop industry

  • Three agricultural-input acquisitions by Lavoro involved Agrobiológica in 2020, Union Agro in 2021 and Cromo Química in 2023.[18]
  • Nine North American ag-retail M&A transactions were reported in 2024.[19]
  • 26 North American agronomy M&A transactions were reported in 2024, up from 16 in 2023.[19]
  • 27 agricultural-input M&A transactions had been completed by Lavoro in Colombia and Brazil by June 2024.[18]
  • Eight of nine North American ag-retail transactions in 2024 involved cooperatives as buyer or seller.[19]

Strategic partnerships in the crop industry

  • Seven named suppliers formed Edible Garden’s disclosed raw-material supplier network in 2024.[16]
  • Four third-party licensing and distribution routes were included in Corteva’s multi-channel, multi-brand seed strategy in 2023.[17]
  • Ten retail companies were named as Local Bounti’s direct retail customers in 2024.[14]
  • Two countries—Brazil and Argentina—were identified as markets where Adecoagro owned farms in 2024, supporting regional agricultural operations.[13]
  • Three smallholder-farmer programs were evaluated through Bayer’s longitudinal impact studies from 2022 through 2024.[15]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce patterns combine seasonality and remote arrangements: U.S. agriculture and support industries employed 1.18 million wage-and-salary workers on average in 2024, while about 12% worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024.

Hiring in the crop industry

  • 43,436 H-2A positions were certified for Georgia employers in fiscal year 2024.[20]
  • U.S. agriculture and support industries employed 1.18 million wage-and-salary workers on average in 2024.[5]
  • U.S. crop-support services added about 48,400 jobs, a 17% increase, between 2010 and 2024.[5]
  • 35,884 H-2A positions were certified for Washington employers in fiscal year 2024.[20]
  • 37,511 H-2A positions were certified for California employers in fiscal year 2024.[20]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[21]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[22]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[22]
  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[23]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed in 2024, 36% reported having no work-at-home days per week.[24]
  • 21% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working fully remotely in 2024.[25]
  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[25]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[24]
  • Across employers discussed in a food-industry hybrid-work survey, about 90% had adopted some form of hybrid work, although the figure was not limited to agriculture and food production.[24]

Upskilling in the crop industry

  • More than 100 California specialty-crop farmworkers had participated in certificate programs covering forklift and aerial-boom operation by 2025.[26]
  • The FAO ASTI system collected agricultural R&D researcher and investment indicators annually from countries beginning in 2025.[27]
  • 4,688 agriculture apprentices were served in the United States in 2025.[28]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[29]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[29]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[29]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[30]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[29]

DEI in the crop industry

  • Women accounted for 34.7% of U.S. agricultural-support employment in 2024.[22]
  • Hispanic or Latino workers were 30.0% of U.S. crop-production employment in 2024.[22]
  • Asian workers were 1.4% of U.S. crop-production employment in 2024.[22]
  • Women were 29.3% of U.S. crop-production workers in 2024.[22]
  • Black or African American workers were 2.6% of U.S. crop-production employment in 2024.[22]

Change Management in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among consumer packaged goods executives surveyed, 54% said resources dedicated to change programs had increased during the previous 12 months.[31]
  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 40% reported changing a process as a structural change.[32]
  • Among food and beverage processors surveyed in 2020, 37% reported expansions, renovations or added capacity as structural changes.[32]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Crop-input purchasing relies heavily on human channels: 67% of U.S. farmers turn to representatives and dealers at initial purchase, while reported loyalty rates range up to 90–95% for service-layer distributors.

Customer experience in the crop industry

  • 45% of U.S. farmers prefer purely digital interactions during initial research and product reordering, 2018.[7]
  • 19% of U.S. farmers use agriculture-company websites for product expertise, 2018.[7]
  • 67% of U.S. farmers turn to representatives and dealers during the initial purchase stage, 2018.[7]
  • 9% of U.S. farmers use online sources for customized recommendations, 2018.[7]
  • 78% of U.S. farmers prefer human interactions when asking about product use and service, 2018.[7]

Customer retention in the crop industry

  • 82–88% is the reported annual retention rate for U.S. crop-input sellers operating as pure commodity-input suppliers, 2026.[33]
  • Two-thirds of U.S. farmers using six or more services from their main crop-input retailer say that retailer strongly influences their input decisions, 2025.[34]
  • 90–95% is the reported annual retention rate for U.S. crop-input distributors with service layers, 2026.[33]

Customer acquisition in the crop industry

  • 25% of U.S. farmers had used online channels for agricultural purchases, 2018.[7]
  • 36% of farmers globally use digital channels to evaluate and compare agricultural products, 2026.[7]
  • Two-thirds of U.S. farmers using six or more services from their main crop-input retailer report strong retailer influence on input decisions, 2025.[34]
  • 31% of farmers globally use digital channels to research agricultural products, 2026.[7]
  • One-quarter of U.S. farmers using only three services from their main crop-input retailer report strong retailer influence on input decisions, 2025.[34]

Customer loyalty in the crop industry

  • Online agricultural purchasing channels tend to attract greater farmer loyalty than offline channels, according to U.S. farmer research, 2018.[7]
  • 51% of large U.S. crop producers report loyalty to crop-protection dealers or retailers, 2022.[35]
  • 41% of large U.S. crop producers report loyalty to crop-protection brands, 2022.[35]
  • 68% of large U.S. crop producers report loyalty to seed brands, 2022.[35]
  • 65% of large U.S. crop producers report loyalty to seed dealers or retailers, 2022.[35]

Lead generation in the crop industry

  • 36% of Indian farmers surveyed identify agro-dealers as a trusted source of agronomic information, 2026.[36]
  • 46% of Indian farmers surveyed identify friends or family as a trusted source of agronomic information, 2026.[36]
  • 26% of Indian farmers surveyed identify local-government officials as a trusted source of agronomic information, 2026.[36]
  • 43% of Indian farmers surveyed identify social media as a trusted source of agronomic information, 2026.[36]
  • 28% of Indian farmers surveyed identify extension workers as a trusted source of agronomic information, 2026.[36]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Preferred contact channels are measurable: 54% of UK farmers prefer email for weekly or monthly contact, and 90% watch YouTube at least monthly in 2023.

Marketing in the crop industry

  • 54% of UK farmers prefer email for weekly or monthly contact from product suppliers, 2023.[37]
  • 40% of UK farmers are open to weekly or monthly text messages from product suppliers, 2023.[37]
  • 32% of UK farmers attend agricultural events for learning and education, 2023.[37]
  • 64% of UK farmers say shows, events and conferences are important in agricultural buying decisions, 2023.[37]
  • 25% of UK farmers would welcome monthly direct-mail communication from product suppliers, 2023.[37]

Digital marketing in the crop industry

  • 90% of UK farmers watch YouTube at least monthly, 2023.[37]
  • 22% of UK farmers use TikTok daily or weekly, 2023.[37]
  • 53% of UK farmers use Facebook daily, 2023.[37]
  • 37% of UK farmers use Instagram daily, 2023.[37]
  • 83% of UK farmers use social media regularly, 2023.[37]

Branding in the crop industry

  • 1,000 U.S. corn, cotton and soybean growers participated in Stratus's seed-company perception study, 2020.[38]
  • Nine leading U.S. seed companies were assessed across 15 company-perception attributes in a survey of corn, cotton and soybean growers, 2020.[38]
  • 29% of planted acres are held by U.S. seed companies rated excellent for overall company performance, compared with 18% for companies rated good, 2020.[38]
  • 18% of planted acres are held by U.S. seed companies rated good for overall company performance, 2020.[38]
  • 6% of planted acres are held by U.S. seed companies rated less than good for overall company performance, 2020.[38]

Social media in the crop industry

  • 21% of Canadian growers who use social media regularly use Snapchat, 2025.[39]
  • 76% of Canadian growers use social media, 2025.[39]
  • 9% of Canadian growers who use social media regularly use Reddit, 2025.[39]
  • 36% of Canadian growers who use social media regularly use X, 2025.[39]
  • 29% of Canadian growers who use social media regularly use Instagram, 2025.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[40]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[40]
  • Food and drink influencer content involved 78,800 profiles globally in 2023, based on Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[40]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Precision and outsourcing show up in field practices and services: GPS-based guidance usage reached 84% of field-crop operations in Canada in 2021, while 49% of U.S. growers outsourced at least some farm work in 2022.

Process optimization in the crop industry

  • 9% of small U.S. crop-producing farms used autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 32% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used variable-rate technology in 2023.[5]
  • 70% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used tractor, harvester or equipment autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 52% of midsize U.S. crop-producing farms used autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 45% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used variable-rate technology in 2023.[5]

Operational efficiency in the crop industry

  • 51% of U.S. farmers adopted precision-agriculture hardware in 2024.[7]
  • 70% of large-scale U.S. crop farms used autosteering systems in 2023.[5]
  • 27% of U.S. farms and ranches used precision agriculture practices to manage crops or livestock in 2023.[2]
  • 45% of large-scale U.S. crop farms used variable-rate technology in 2023.[5]
  • 61% of U.S. farmers adopted digital agronomy technology in 2024.[7]

Quality management in the crop industry

  • 23.0% of food was lost before retail in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023.[27]
  • 13.9% of food was lost before retail in Eastern and Southeastern Asia in 2023.[27]
  • 19.9% of food was lost before retail in least-developed countries in 2023.[27]
  • 10.0% of food was lost before retail in Northern America and Europe in 2023.[27]
  • 12.3% of roots, tubers and oil-bearing crops were lost globally before retail in 2023.[27]

Supply chain in the crop industry

  • 23.0% of food was lost before retail in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023, reflecting supply-chain infrastructure constraints.[27]
  • 19.0% of food was lost before retail in small island developing states in 2023.[27]
  • 13.3% of food was lost globally after harvest and before retail in 2023.[27]
  • 8.4% of cereals and pulses were lost globally across the pre-retail supply chain in 2023.[27]
  • 12.3% of roots, tubers and oil-bearing crops were lost globally across the pre-retail supply chain in 2023.[27]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[41]
  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[42]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[41]
  • About 12% of firms in the 11-country World Bank Firm-level Adoption of Technology sample outsourced at least one food-processing function, compared with about 18% in apparel.[43]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[44]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Producer-price references remain specific: U.S. preliminary 2025 average producer prices were $4.10 per bushel for corn, $10.20 for soybeans and $4.75 for all wheat.

Pricing strategy in the crop industry

  • $4.51 per bushel was the U.S. corn price received in May 2024.[45]
  • $11.90 per bushel was the U.S. soybean price received in May 2024.[45]
  • $6.77 per bushel was the U.S. wheat price received in January 2024.[45]
  • $4.74 per bushel was the U.S. corn price received in January 2024.[45]
  • $11.90 per bushel was the U.S. soybean price received in February 2024.[45]

Cost reduction in the crop industry

  • $51.8 billion, or 10.8% of U.S. farm expenditures, was spent on labor in 2024.[45]
  • $27.4 billion, or 5.7% of U.S. farm expenditures, was spent on seeds and plants in 2024.[45]
  • $477.6 billion was spent by U.S. farms in 2024, down 0.9% from 2023.[45]
  • $73.1 billion, or 15.3% of U.S. farm expenditures, was spent on feed in 2024.[45]
  • $21.7 billion, or 4.5% of U.S. farm expenditures, was spent on agricultural chemicals in 2024.[45]

Profitability in the crop industry

  • $370,700 was the forecast average net cash farm income per U.S. cotton farm in 2026, up 24% from 2025.[5]
  • $286,700 was the forecast average net cash farm income per U.S. specialty-crop farm in 2026, down 3% from 2025.[5]
  • $306,100 was the forecast average net cash farm income per U.S. corn farm in 2026, up 46% from 2025.[5]
  • $154.1 billion was U.S. net cash farm income forecast for 2024, down 9.6% from 2023 in inflation-adjusted dollars.[5]
  • $89,000 was the forecast average net cash farm income per U.S. farm specializing in other crops in 2026, up 21% from 2025.[5]

Financial planning in the crop industry

  • 38% was the average share of crop-insurance premiums paid by U.S. producers in 2024 after subsidies.[5]
  • 62% of U.S. row-crop producers purchased federal crop insurance in 2024.[5]
  • 73% was the federal crop-insurance loss ratio for crop year 2024.[46]
  • $191.853 billion was the value of federal crop insurance in force for crop year 2024.[46]
  • 45% of federal crop-insurance indemnities went to large family farms in 2024.[5]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Time-to-market is long for inputs: 11.4 years is the average time to discover, develop and register a new crop-protection product before it reaches growers.

Product development in the crop industry

  • 10% of crop-protection R&D investment by CropLife International member companies was allocated to biological products in 2023.[47]
  • 10% of annual agricultural-product sales was invested in R&D by seven major global seed and crop-chemical companies, 1990–2020.[5]
  • 2,028 plant-variety protection certificates were issued for new crop varieties in the United States during 2016–2020.[5]
  • 16.5 years is the average time to discover, develop and authorize a crop with a new GM trait, depending on crop type.[48]
  • 5,010 utility patents were issued for new crop varieties in the United States during 2016–2020.[5]

Product lifecycle in the crop industry

  • Under 3 years was the average commercial life of a newly introduced corn hybrid by 2009, down from about 4–5 years in 1997.[5]
  • $286 million is the estimated average overall cost of bringing a new agrochemical product to market.[8]
  • $307 million is the average cost of discovering and developing a new crop-protection product through registration.[49]
  • 11.4 years is the average time to discover, develop and register a new crop-protection product before it reaches growers.[49]
  • 11 years is the approximate global lead time for crop-protection product discovery and development.[8]

After-sales in the crop industry

  • 60.56 mean-percent score was recorded for soil-improvement advice supplied by agricultural input dealers in southern Rajasthan, India.[50]
  • 68.11 mean-percent score was recorded for crop-advisory after-sales services supplied by input dealers in southern Rajasthan, India.[50]
  • 81.81 mean-percent score was recorded for pesticide-related after-sales services supplied by agricultural input dealers in southern Rajasthan, India.[50]
  • 62.92 mean-percent score was recorded for pest-and-disease-control after-sales services supplied by input dealers in southern Rajasthan, India.[50]
  • 62.71 mean-percent score was recorded for fertilizer-related after-sales services supplied by input dealers in southern Rajasthan, India.[50]

Value proposition in the crop industry

  • 50% of surveyed digital-input-service users said produce quality had very much improved after using the service.[51]
  • 90% of surveyed farmers using digital input services reported improved input quality, according to a 2024–2025 global farmer study.[51]
  • 22% of digital-input-service users reported challenges, mainly involving delivery delays, customer service, product availability, product quality or technical issues.[51]
  • 57% of male digital-input-service users reported increased production, compared with 36% of female users.[51]
  • 65% of surveyed digital-input-service users said their production had very much increased after using the service.[51]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Targets and emissions intensity are tracked together: the OECD-FAO outlook projects a 6.5% increase in direct agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions by 2035, while agriculture emissions intensity averaged 138 tonnes of CO2e per USD 100,000 revenue in 2024.

Sustainability in the crop industry

  • More than 60% of assessed agri-food companies had at least one water target in 2024.[52]
  • 68% of 136 agri-food companies had net-zero targets in 2024, according to BloombergNEF’s global corporate assessment.[52]
  • 100% of newly developed Corteva solutions in its 2024 pipeline met the company’s sustainability criteria.[53]
  • 78% of 136 agri-food companies had absolute emissions-reduction targets in 2024.[52]
  • 8 million acres received biodiversity-outcome support from Corteva between 2021 and 2024.[53]

ESG in the crop industry

  • 43% of Syngenta Crop Protection’s portfolio is targeted for classification in Portfolio Sustainability Framework Tier 1.[54]
  • 14.096 million tonnes of CO2e were Syngenta’s Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[55]
  • 602,000 tonnes of CO2e were Syngenta’s combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2024.[55]
  • 14.698 million tonnes of CO2e were Syngenta’s absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in 2024.[55]
  • 96% of Syngenta’s total absolute emissions came from Scope 3 in 2024.[55]

Ethics in the crop industry

  • 50% of the world’s cocoa is processed by Barry Callebaut, Cargill and ofi combined.[20]
  • 11% of global cocoa bean production came from Indonesia in 2022.[56]
  • 41% of children in Côte d’Ivoire cocoa-growing areas were estimated to be affected by child labor in the cited study.[20]
  • 41% of global cocoa bean production came from Côte d’Ivoire in 2022.[56]
  • 19% of global cocoa bean production came from Ghana in 2022.[56]

CSR in the crop industry

  • 84% of benchmarked agrifood companies sourced beans in the supplier-transparency assessment.[57]
  • 2.4 million farmers and workers were reached by Rainforest Alliance programs in 2024.[58]
  • 64% of benchmarked agrifood companies sourced cocoa in the supplier-transparency assessment.[57]
  • 82% of benchmarked agrifood companies sourced palm oil in the supplier-transparency assessment.[57]
  • 64% of benchmarked agrifood companies sourced coffee in the supplier-transparency assessment.[57]

Circular economy in the crop industry

  • USD 14.0 billion was the value of formulated pesticides imported by the Americas in 2024.[27]
  • 18% was the increase in global agricultural pesticide use over the decade to 2024.[27]
  • 2.49 kilograms per hectare was global agricultural pesticide use in 2024.[27]
  • 53% was the increase in pesticide-export volume between 2015 and 2024.[27]
  • 35% was the increase in pesticide-export value between 2015 and 2024.[27]

Carbon footprint in the crop industry

  • 138 tonnes of CO2e per USD 100,000 of revenue was the average reported emissions intensity for agriculture, food and beverage companies in 2024.[59]
  • 1.56 million tonnes of Scope 1 CO2e emissions came from Bayer’s Crop Science division in 2025.[15]
  • 21% was Corteva’s reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity between 2020 and 2024.[53]
  • 0.76 million tonnes of market-based Scope 2 CO2e emissions came from Bayer Crop Science in 2025.[15]
  • 14% was the reduction in Bayer’s treated-area-weighted environmental impact per hectare for its global crop-protection portfolio between 2020 and 2024 against the 2014–2018 baseline.[15]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Regional supply chains drive scale: Adecoagro reported 585,999 hectares managed across Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay at December 31, 2024.

Globalization in the crop industry

  • Six greenhouse-growing facilities operated by Local Bounti in the United States in 2024 served a national distribution strategy.[14]
  • 94% of Adecoagro’s managed land portfolio was in Argentina and 6% was in Brazil at December 31, 2024.[13]
  • 585,999 hectares were managed by Adecoagro across Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay at December 31, 2024.[13]
  • 220,425 hectares were harvested by Adecoagro during the 2023/2024 harvest year in South America.[13]
  • About 85% of global soybean and palm-oil exports were supplied by the top two exporting countries in 2024.[27]

Cultural adaptation in the crop industry

  • Three geographic markets—Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay—were served by Adecoagro’s crop and agricultural operations in 2024.[13]
  • Four differentiated distribution channels—Pioneer agencies, regional brands, retail brands and third-party licensing—were used by Corteva’s seed segment in 2023.[17]
  • Three major smallholder-farmer regions were covered by Bayer’s longitudinal social-impact studies conducted from 2022 through 2024.[15]
  • Two survey rounds were used in Bayer’s smallholder-farmer impact studies, covering the 2022–2023 growing season and a follow-up year.[15]

Supplier management in the crop industry

  • Seven named suppliers provided raw materials to Edible Garden for organic herb production in 2024.[16]
  • $18.7 billion was the 2023 net sales value for fertilizer at U.S. agricultural cooperatives.[68]
  • $10.2 billion was the 2023 net sales value for crop protectants at U.S. agricultural cooperatives.[68]
  • $4.5 billion was the 2023 net sales value for seed at U.S. agricultural cooperatives.[68]

Stakeholder management in the crop industry

  • 72.7% of cropland surveyed was managed with no-till or minimum tillage for pest management in 2024.[69]
  • 90.9% of surveyed U.S. crop producers reported using fertilizers in 2024.[69]
  • 83.3% of surveyed U.S. crop producers reported using pest-management practices in 2024.[69]
  • 28.7% of U.S. crop producers using pest-management practices altered crop rotation in 2024.[69]
  • 6,425 U.S. crop producers were surveyed for the 2024 Conservation Effects Assessment Project results.[69]

Distribution channels in the crop industry

  • Ten named blue-chip retail customers were identified by Local Bounti as direct distribution customers in 2024.[14]
  • Four rice mills operated by Adecoagro in Argentina in 2024 supported its agricultural processing and commercialization chain.[13]
  • Four distribution channels were used by Corteva’s seed segment in 2023: Pioneer agencies, regional brands, retail brands and third-party licensing.[17]
  • Two new greenhouse facilities in Washington and Texas were completed by Local Bounti in 2024, bringing its facility count to six.[14]
  • Two rice mills operated by Adecoagro in Uruguay in 2024.[13]

Key questions about the crop industry

What is the current scale of global crop production?
Global crop production spans 1.5 billion hectares, and cereals reached 3.1 billion tonnes in 2024.
How fast is cereal production expected to grow?
Global cereal production is projected to grow by approximately 1.1% annually through 2034, reaching 3.2 billion tonnes.
Which companies lead the crop industry?
Bunge leads Gitnux's 2026 crop ranking with an Overall score of 9.3, with revenue growth 32.5% and operating margin 2.2%. Cargill is the runner-up at 9.2, with revenue growth 6.5%.
Where is technology adoption most visible in crop operations?
Data analytics and precision practices show high uptake: 80% of farmers using agricultural data analytics reported better decision-making in 2024, and 27% of U.S. farms used precision-agriculture practices in 2023.
How concentrated is global production for major cereals?
For cereals, the five largest producing countries are projected to supply between 51% and 72% of global production for individual cereal commodities by 2035.
How have prices moved in 2026, and what was happening with sugar?
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026 and fell 1.2% month on month; sugar prices rose 6.6% month on month and 28.8% year on year.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Crop Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/crop-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Crop Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/crop-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Crop Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/crop-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

78 sources cited across this report

  1. institute.bankofamerica.com
  2. gao.gov
  3. monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu
  4. oecd.org
  5. ers.usda.gov
  6. betterfoodventures.com
  7. mckinsey.com
  8. ec.europa.eu
  9. manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com
  10. dnb.com
  11. utah.ismworld.org
  12. tracegains.com
  13. sec.gov
  14. cdn.yahoofinance.com
  15. reports.bayer.com
  16. financialfilings.com
  17. annualreports.com
  18. content-archive.fast-edgar.com
  19. oceanpk.com
  20. dol.gov
  21. m.agcareers.com
  22. bls.gov
  23. govinfo.gov
  24. ift.org
  25. 3ppartners.com
  26. cdfa.ca.gov
  27. fao.org
  28. apprenticeship.gov
  29. peopleinsight.co.uk
  30. culturemonkey.io
  31. manufacturing.net
  32. foodengineeringmag.com
  33. corecredit.io
  34. agrimarketing.com
  35. agribusiness.purdue.edu
  36. bayer.com
  37. hillsgreen.co.uk
  38. stratusresearch.com
  39. nafb.com
  40. media.sproutsocial.com
  41. business.qld.gov.au
  42. fpsc-ctac.com
  43. documents1.worldbank.org
  44. 1557649.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  45. nass.usda.gov
  46. oig.usda.gov
  47. thegrower.org
  48. wipo.int
  49. news.agropages.com
  50. aatcc.peerjournals.net
  51. 60decibels.com
  52. about.bnef.com
  53. reports.corteva.com
  54. syngentagroup.com
  55. assets.syngenta-us.com
  56. un.org
  57. media.business-humanrights.org
  58. rainforest-alliance.org
  59. pwc.com
  60. fda.gov
  61. ams.usda.gov
  62. wtwco.com
  63. foodandag-isac.org
  64. publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu
  65. afgc.org.au
  66. corteva.com
  67. worldbenchmarkingalliance.org
  68. rd.usda.gov
  69. data.nass.usda.gov
  70. research-groups.usask.ca
  71. investors.bunge.com
  72. investors.corteva.com
  73. yara.com
  74. nutrien.com
  75. report.basf.com
  76. careers.icl-group.com
  77. fb.org
  78. techradar.com