Imported Beef: A Truly Global Market

Joe Muldowney, CEO of Urner Barry sits down to discuss in detail how the global economy and conditions surrounding red meat have impacted supply and pricing...

Protein: Consumers Want It, But Don't Understand It

U.S. consumers have a growing appetite for all things protein. In fact, 55% of U.S. households say high protein is now an important attribute to consider when buying food for their households. Across the country, 6% of households include someone who lives on a high-protein diet. That’s more than 5.4 million people.

While the popularity of plant-based proteins is certainly growing, data shows that consumers are still choosing traditional sources of protein such as meat, eggs and dairy as their primary source. They still dominate in sales as well, as these five categories...

U.S. Pork and Beef Export Volumes Strong in July; Pork Value Squeezed by Higher Duties

July exports of U.S. pork and beef were higher than a year ago, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Export value results were mixed, with beef exports posting another near-record month while pork export value declined, reflecting the impact of retaliatory duties imposed by Mexico and China.

Pork exports totaled 176,413 metric tons (mt) in July, up 1.5 percent from a year ago, valued at $465.3 million – down 5 percent year-over-year and the lowest monthly value since February 2016. For the first seven months of the year, pork exports remained 2 percent ahead of last year’s record volume pace at 1.45 million mt, while value was up 3 percent to $3.83 billion.

“It is encouraging to see pork export volume continue to grow, even in the face of considerable headwinds in some...

Food Safety Professionals Ensure that “What’s in Your Meat” is Safe and Wholesome

WASHINGTON,— As the head of a public health agency that ensures the safety of meat and poultry, food safety is my number one priority. Americans depend on us to keep their food safe. When you see the USDA mark of inspection, you can have confidence that the products have been inspected and passed – meaning that every carcass has been inspected, samples have been taken by USDA inspectors and analyzed by scientists in a USDA laboratory, and the labeling is truthful and not misleading.

In recent years, consumers have expressed a greater interest in knowing where their food comes from, and everything associated with that process from farm to fork. As a public health regulatory agency, this movement toward greater transparency about the products we regulate is an important step for consumers to understand how food safety is achieved. Not only have we moved to proactively make otherwise non-public data available on our website, but we routinely release data in response to ...

Tremendous First Half for U.S. Beef Exports; Pork Exports Still ahead of 2017 Pace

Strong June results capped a huge first half of 2018 for U.S. beef exports, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). June pork exports were lower than a year ago for the second consecutive month, but first-half volume and value remained ahead of last year’s pace.

Beef muscle cut exports set a new volume record in June of 90,745 metric tons (mt), up 15 percent from a year ago. When adding variety meat, total beef export volume was 115,718 mt, up 6 percent, valued at $718.4 million – up 19 percent year-over-year and only slightly below the record total ($722.1 million) reached in May. First-half exports set a record pace in both volume and value as international customers bought a larger share of U.S. beef production at higher prices, indicating strong demand. Export volume was up 9 percent from a year ago to 662,875 mt while export value was just over $4 billion, up 21 percent. In previous years, export value never topped the $4...

WASDE Report Forecasts for 2018 for Red Meat and Poultry Production are Raised from Last Month

The USDA released its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report Thursday at noon EST, showing the latest outlook for livestock, poultry and dairy.

The forecasts for 2018 red meat and poultry production are raised from last month. The beef production forecast is raised on higher expected cow slaughter in the third quarter. USDA will release the Cattle report on July 20th, providing a mid-year estimate of the U.S. cattle inventory as well as producer intentions regarding retention of heifers for beef cow replacement.

Forecast pork production is raised from last month as higher expected second-half hog slaughter more than offsets lower second-quarter slaughter. A more rapid pace of hog ...

USDA Announces Japan to Accept Exports of U.S. Sheep and Goat Meat

WASHINGTON,– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is announcing that the government of Japan has finalized technical requirements that will allow U.S. sheep and goat exports into the country for the first time in more than 14 years.

“This success is a direct result of USDA’s dedication to helping America’s farmers and ranchers keep and find new markets for their products,” Secretary Perdue said. “The United States has a reputation for high quality agricultural products and this Administration is committed to helping U.S. producers prosper and share these products with the world.”

This announcement comes after extensive work by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) technical staff with Japanese authorities to establish new terms for market access that...

May Beef Exports Shatter Value Record; Pork Exports Trend Lower

U.S. beef exports set a new value record in May while also increasing significantly year-over-year in volume, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). May pork exports were lower than a year ago, though January-May totals for U.S. pork remained ahead of last year’s pace.

Beef export volume was 117,871 metric tons (mt) in May, the sixth-largest on record, valued at a remarkable $722.1 million, which surpassed the previous monthly high (March 2018) by a healthy 4 percent and was 24 percent higher than a year ago. Through the first five months of 2018, beef exports were up 10 percent in volume to 547,157 mt while export value was $3.32 billion, 21 percent above last year’s record pace.

Exports accounted for 13.6 percent of total beef production in May, up from 13 percent a year ago. For ...