More Value, Same Beef
For cattle producers, sometimes the export story isn’t about selling more beef. It’s about getting more value for what we’re already selling.
New USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation show July beef exports were basically flat from a year ago at just over 89,000 metric tons. But the value climbed 6 percent to nearly $797 million.
Strong demand from Taiwan, Mexico and Japan helped. Taiwan was a standout, with July export value jumping 38 percent.
Zoom out to the first seven months of the year, though, and the picture changes. Beef exports were down 8 percent in volume and 2 percent in value. China remains a major drag on those numbers. Take China out of the year-to-date comparison, and export value was actually up 6 percent.
And here’s a number that puts that into perspective for cattle producers: through July, beef export value averaged just over $430 per head of fed slaughter, up 7 percent from a year ago.
USMEF says despite significant headwinds, global demand for U.S. beef remains resilient.
