As World Eats More Meat, U.S. Soy Is Losing the Battle to Feed Animals
- Crop protein content ties for lowest in decades on bad weather
- Quality gap widens as Brazil sees soy exports surge to record
Soybeans stand in a field at dusk in Buda, Illinois, U.S., on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
At a time when people around the world are eating more meat, poultry and dairy products than ever before, American farmers may be losing even more ground to Brazil in the race to feed all those animals.
U.S. exports of feed crops already were expected to drop this year as producers in South America and Europe expand sales. But after some lousy weather in the Midwest this year, the harvest yielded soybeans with less protein, a key ingredient that helps build muscle in animals. At 34.1 percent per bushel, the protein content was tied for 2008 as the lowest since it was first measured in 1986, government data show.