US beef exports hold steady despite headwinds in Asia

Jun 10, 2024

Mexico & Middle East drive growth, while China demand softens

By Farms.com

US beef exports exhibited resilience in April, maintaining a steady pace despite facing challenges in key Asian markets. The positive performance in Mexico and the Middle East counterbalanced the decline in Asian demand.

Mexico continued to be a major driver of US beef exports, with April sales climbing 46% year-over-year. This growth is attributed to strong foodservice and retail demand in the Mexican market.

The Middle East also emerged as a bright spot for US beef exports, with a 26% increase in April compared to last year. This upsurge was fueled by higher sales to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar.

US beef exports faced headwinds in Asia, particularly in China and South Korea. Exports to China fell by 12% year-over-year, while sales to South Korea declined by 20%. The weak yen and ongoing trade tensions likely contributed to this decrease.

Despite these challenges, the US remains a dominant supplier of chilled beef to Korea and Taiwan, capturing a significant market share in both countries.

The US beef industry displayed adaptability in April. The strong performance in Mexico and the Middle East helped offset the decline in Asian markets. The industry remains cautiously optimistic about the future, with ongoing efforts to diversify export markets.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

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