US Beef Sector Well-Poised To Increase Exports On The Rebound Of The World Economic Climate

Sep 16, 2016

By Jim Robb,

Director of the Livestock Marketing Information Center Jim Robb recently spoke with Radio Oklahoma Farm Director Ron Hays about current trends happening on the stage of international trade. Robb says he’s been keeping an eye on exports and from what the numbers are telling him, US trade volumes seem to be climbing higher compared to last year.

Robb says that while comparisons to the first part of 2015 were fairly tough, the scales are starting to tip the other way as some international counterparts struggle with their own trade issues.

“We think that’s the perspective,” Robb said. “This is really driven by the world economic environment, which is sort of improving. The US and a couple of other countries are well-positioned to export to countries that want to buy beef.”

Exchange rates, growing incomes and current product pricing are all helping right now, Robb says, even if they don’t stir a shift in demand. If nothing else, we should be able to sell more product overseas at lower prices, according to Robb.

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Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.