USSEC learning mission highlights opportunities to protect and grow demand for Missouri soybeans
Missouri soybean farmers have customers around the world, and maintaining relationships with those customers remains critical as competition for global soybean markets intensifies.
Missouri Soybeans recently participated in a U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) learning mission to Mexico and El Salvador, meeting with soybean customers, feed manufacturers, livestock industry representatives and agricultural leaders to better understand opportunities and challenges facing two important markets for U.S. Soy. The message was simple – the U.S. produces the highest quality, and the most consistent, reliable and sustainable soybeans in the world. 
For Missouri farmers, the mission provided an important look at both an established customer and a developing market. Mexico is the No. 2 market for U.S. Soy and a significant direct customer for Missouri soybeans, while El Salvador represents growing potential for U.S. soybean meal as its poultry and livestock sectors expand.
“As a farmer, it is valuable to sit across the table from the people buying and using the soybeans we grow,” said Jody Ketsenburg, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council board member and soybean farmer from New London. “Mexico is already an important customer for Missouri soybeans, while markets like El Salvador show us where future opportunities may exist. Being there in person gives us a better understanding of what our customers need and allows us to build relationships that can ultimately create more demand for Missouri farmers.”
Mexico Remains Critical for Missouri Soybeans
Mexico’s proximity and strong trade relationship with the United States make it one of the most important international customers for U.S. agriculture. That relationship is particularly significant for Missouri because the state’s access to both rail transportation and the Mississippi River provides multiple routes to move soybeans south.
Mexico’s soybean imports for marketing year 2025-26 are estimated at 6.7 million metric tons (~250 million bushels), while soybean meal imports are projected at 2.9 million metric tons (equates to ~135 million bushels), with the majority coming from the United States. However, competition is increasing. U.S. soybean market share in Mexico is projected to decline as Brazil captures a larger portion of the whole bean market.
One of those customers is Ragasa, home to the largest soybean crush facility in North America. The facility has the capacity to crush approximately 9,000 tons per day, or 101 million bushels annually. The mission also found Ragasa consistently imports an estimated 20 million to 28 million bushels of Missouri soybeans, demonstrating the direct connection between Missouri soybeans and Mexican buyers.
Trade policy was also a major topic throughout the mission. With discussions surrounding the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement continuing, maintaining open market access for U.S. soybeans and agricultural products remains a priority. Mexican feed industry representatives emphasized the interconnectedness of North American agriculture and the opportunity to develop a stronger regional strategy to compete with South American suppliers.
Growing Soybean Meal Demand in El Salvador
El Salvador is currently a top 15 export market for U.S. soybean meal. The country’s limited agricultural land means its poultry, livestock and feed industries rely heavily on imported ingredients, creating consistent demand for soybean products.
Poultry is particularly important. During the mission, participants met with the Poultry Association of El Salvador and industry representatives. The country has nearly 30 million birds and produces approximately 1.7 billion eggs and 361 million pounds of chicken annually.
The delegation also visited Avicola Campestre, a vertically integrated chicken and egg business in San Miguel. The company currently produces approximately 7 million chicks and plans to increase production to 12 million by 2028. It is also exploring extrusion technology that could become the first soybean crush operation in El Salvador.
As those animal agriculture industries grow, so does the potential market for U.S. soybean meal.
Creating Demand in a Changing Global Market
The mission also highlighted how growth in U.S. biofuels is changing international soybean trade. As domestic crush capacity expands to meet demand for soybean oil, more U.S. soybean meal will need customers at home and abroad. At the same time, opportunities exist for U.S. soybeans to be crushed in Mexico, with soybean oil potentially returning to the United States as feedstock for biodiesel and renewable diesel.
“With more soybeans being crushed in the United States, we have to continue growing markets for both whole soybeans and soybean meal,” said Matt Amick, Missouri Soybeans director of market development. “Mexico is especially important because Missouri has a logistical advantage through both rail and river transportation, but we cannot take that market for granted. Missions like this allow us to strengthen relationships with existing customers while identifying new opportunities to move more U.S. Soy throughout Latin America.”
For Missouri soybean farmers, these changing dynamics reinforce the importance of maintaining existing customers while developing new markets for both whole soybeans and soybean meal. Mexico’s established demand, El Salvador’s growing livestock industries and increasing competition from South America all point to the same conclusion: relationships matter.
As global soybean markets continue to evolve, maintaining those relationships will remain an important part of creating long-term opportunities for Missouri soybean farmers.
