US farm exports reached $171 billion in 2025, and the crop in storage is the collateral that finances trade
US agricultural exports totaled $171 billion in 2025. Much of this trade is financed against the crop itself, through warehouse receipts, pre-export finance and GSM-102 guaranteed letters of credit.
Seasonal trade packs a year's funding need into a few months, so the facility has to peak with the harvest
Harvests set when an exporter's cash goes out and when it comes back. US soybean exports have historically peaked September to December. Pre-export, warehouse and yearly renewed facilities are built to rise and fall with that curve.
Pre-export finance pays the exporter before the goods exist, and the buyer's payment repays it
Through pre-export financing, exporters are pre-paid for the products they are going to export. The lender advances against assigned export contracts, and the buyer normally acknowledges the assignment and pays the lender directly.