Total U.S. beef exports came in a little more than $19 billion last year, with more than half going to the three countries facing the most tariffs: Mexico, China, and Canada.
The meat industry says they are just waiting to see how the situation pans out.
“Obviously very concerning at a very high level, but we’ll have to just see how this all plays out because there’s a lot of moving parts and remains to be seen exactly what the potential impact is short term,” said Dan Halstrom, President and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Halstrom says for the long term, they are hoping to get through these tariff issues with minimal impact.
The Meat Institute also wants action, calling for the removal of non-tariff trade barriers, in hopes of opening new markets for meat producers. They warn that retaliatory tariffs from China will stunt growth, and say that UK policies unfairly restrict meat and poultry exports. The group tells U.S. Trade Rep Jamieson Greer they want to work with the Administration, saying they need support to open new markets for producers.
Secretary Rollins also met with specialty crop producers at a local strawberry farm to discuss workforce needs and the Trump Administration’s recent wins related to significantly cutting the cost of H-2A labor for California farmers.
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USDA flash corn sales, Cattle on Feed and Inventory reports, and beef packer antitrust concerns dominate January agricultural market news.
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Structural efficiency supports cattle prices and resilience — breaking it risks higher costs and greater volatility.
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Strong pork demand and improving beef exports outside China support protein markets despite ongoing trade barriers.
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