Export Sales Reporting Program

Timely reporting and publishing of agricultural export sales data is key to effectively functioning markets. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is required by law to publicly release summary sales data obtained from U.S. exporters of many agricultural commodities.

Weekly Reporting

Each week, U.S. exporters are required to report to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) any transaction entered into with a buyer outside the United States for sale of the following commodities, regardless of quantity:

Weekly reporting is also required for all food aid donations, regardless of the commodity or volume.

The weekly reporting period runs Friday through Thursday and exporters must report no later than 11:59 p.m. ET the following Monday. FAS publishes a weekly summary of export sales activity every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET, unless a change is announced. If the preceding Friday or Monday is a national holiday, the reporting deadline moves to Tuesday and the weekly summary is published Friday.

FAS compares and reconciles reported data with sources including USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service, U.S. Census Bureau, and trade reports.

Daily Reporting

In addition to the weekly reporting requirement, daily reporting is required when a single exporter enters into a transaction to sell 100,000 metric tons or more of the following commodities (^*with the exception of 20,000 metric tons of soybean oil) to a single destination on a single day. Exporters must report by 3 p.m. ET on the business day following the transaction, and then FAS publishes the information on the subsequent business day at 9 a.m. ET. Daily sales activity is also captured in the weekly report.

(See the latest daily sales reports below, under News and Features.)