North Dakota’s soybean crop has grown over the past decade, but not in a straight line. More planted acres and changing yields have contributed to the expansion, while new in-state crushing plants give growers additional local buyers for beans used to make oil and meal. Export and biofuel markets are part of the demand picture. China is a major buyer of U.S. soybeans, but available trade figures do not show how much of North Dakota’s soybean exports go there.
How much has North Dakota’s soybean crop grown?
USDA’s North Dakota Field Office reports 185.9 million bushels of production in 2015 and 245.625 million bushels in 2024. That is about 32% more production across those two years, but the state’s crop has varied along the way; this is not a steady year-by-year climb. Planted acreage and yields both change, and production volume alone does not show how much farmers earned because prices also vary.
| Crop year | Planted acreage | Production | What the figure represents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5.75 million acres | 185.9 million bushels | USDA NASS North Dakota historical series, published in the 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin. |
| 2024 | 6.60 million acres | 245.625 million bushels | USDA NASS North Dakota historical series, published in the 2025 Annual Statistical Bulletin; retrospective annual figure. |
| 2025 | not stated (USDA NASS 2025 State Agriculture Overview) | 223.905 million bushels | USDA Quick Stats data available as of September 13, 2026, as reported in the 2025 State Agriculture Overview; estimates may be revised. |
The 2024 crop illustrates why forecasts and final estimates should not be mixed. USDA’s November 8, 2024 crop report forecast a record 251 million bushels, 15% above 2023. The later annual historical series lists 245.625 million bushels for 2024, below that forecast. For comparisons after harvest, use the later annual figure rather than the earlier projection.
Why are farmers growing more soybeans?
Acreage and yields both matter
The 2015-to-2024 comparison shows planted acreage rising from 5.75 million to 6.60 million acres, alongside higher total production. Yield changes also affect how many bushels come off those acres. The cited figures establish expansion over the decade, not a single cause for it; they do not quantify how much of the change came from prices, rotations, weather, yields or other farm decisions.
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Local crushing creates another market for beans
A soybean crusher separates beans into oil and meal. Meal is used in animal feed; soybean oil serves food markets and can also be used as a biofuel feedstock. With processing facilities in the state, growers have buyers that can convert beans locally instead of relying only on shipment to distant processors or export channels.
Green Bison Soy Processing in Spiritwood was celebrated at a plant ribbon cutting in November 2023. The North Dakota Governor’s Office reported capacity of up to 150,000 bushels per day and said its vegetable oil supplies feedstock to Marathon’s renewable diesel refinery in Dickinson. This establishes a direct local link between soybean processing and renewable diesel production, though capacity is not the same as actual throughput.
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North Dakota Soybean Processors’ Casselton facility opened in August 2024. At the opening, the Governor’s Office reported first-year processing capacity of up to 42.5 million bushels. Capacity indicates the plant’s potential scale, not how many bushels it ultimately processed or how much it paid farmers.
What do exports and China have to do with the boom?
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s North Dakota profile reports $1.2 billion in state soybean agricultural exports in 2024. Separately, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service data put total U.S. soybean exports at $24.58 billion that year, including $12.84 billion in exports to China.
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| Measure | 2024 value | Geography and source |
|---|---|---|
| Soybean agricultural exports | $1.2 billion | North Dakota; USTR trade profile, reporting USDA data, accessed 2026. |
| Soybean exports | $24.58 billion | United States; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 2025 data. |
| Soybean exports to China | $12.84 billion | United States; USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 2025 data. |
The China figure is national, not a breakdown of North Dakota shipments. It shows China’s importance as a U.S. soybean destination, but it cannot establish what share of the state’s $1.2 billion in soybean exports went to China. State export value and national destination totals answer different questions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How biofuels can affect soybean demand
Biofuel production can increase demand for soybean oil. USDA’s Economic Research Service explains that stronger domestic demand for soybean oil, especially for biofuels, affects the U.S. soybean-oil market and exports of both oil and unprocessed soybeans. The mechanism is straightforward: more oil used domestically can change how much oil or whole beans are available for export, while processors may compete for beans as an input.
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- Productive - Chiba Green Soybean germinates in 10-14 days when soil temps are 65-75°F. Plant 1” deep and space 4-6” apart in an area with full sun. This variety will grow 1-3’ tall with a spread of 12-16”. Beans will mature in 65-75 days, plant in USDA zones 3-10.
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North Dakota’s Green Bison-to-Dickinson feedstock connection makes that market mechanism locally relevant. However, the cited sources do not estimate how much biofuel demand caused North Dakota’s acreage or production growth. It is one documented market force among several, not a measured explanation for the state’s decade-long crop change.
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What the evidence does—and does not—show
- Established: North Dakota produced more soybeans in 2024 than in 2015, with planted acreage also higher in those two years; production fluctuates rather than rising smoothly.
- Established: The state has new local crushing capacity, including a facility linked to renewable diesel feedstock supply.
- Established: North Dakota reported substantial soybean export value in 2024, and China was a major destination for U.S. soybean exports overall.
- Not established by these figures: North Dakota’s China-bound share, the amount of actual plant throughput, or a quantified causal share for biofuels in the state’s acreage expansion.
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