Nebraska, a landlocked state in the middle of the US, has never felt closer to China. As more and more of the state’s crops are shipped across the Pacific to meet Chinese demand, Nebraska is on the front line of a structural shift in global grain markets: China is importing more cereals than ever before.

“China represents a huge export market?.?.?.?[and] a growing export destination,” says Greg Ibach, Nebraska’s top agricultural official, on a recent visit to Beijing. The state’s crop exports to China have doubled during the past five years.

Nebraska is hardly alone in taking note. From Chinese officials to global trading house executives, the industry has quietly started to acknowledge that China is in the midst of a structural shift as it becomes a net importer of grains.