The trade deal with U.S. and Japan is set to boost American beef and pork exports.
Japan is our second-largest market for pork and beef. The U.S. Meat Export Federation says that the agreement brought a sense of relief to Japan.
According to Dan Halstrom, “I think the fact that a deal had been done on autos, which is obviously one of the big sticky points with Japan, kind of laid to rest any concerns there might have been on possible retaliation from the Japanese side should a deal not have been reached.”
Bottom line, Halstrom says that this is a big deal and the numbers themselves prove it.
“When you’re talking about your second-largest export market in the world, 2024, we saw about $1.9 billion on beef and about $1.4 billion on pork, for a total of about $3.3 billion in sales, and it’s been pretty consistent right in that range,” he adds.
Halstrom was in Japan when the Trump adminsitration announced the deal. He met with several importers and distributors while there.
USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg joined us with a recap of the Malaysia trade mission and a look at USDA’s broader trade strategy moving forward.
January 28, 2026 01:49 PM
·
Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition shares how extreme winter weather is affecting the ag transportation network and what producers should keep in mind as conditions slowly improve.
January 28, 2026 01:36 PM
·
Mixed product pricing and rising milk supplies suggest margin management will remain critical as 2026 unfolds.
January 28, 2026 06:00 AM
·
Corn and soybean exports continue to anchor weekly inspection totals, with China maintaining a visible role, while wheat and sorghum remain more dependent on regional and seasonal demand shifts.
January 27, 2026 03:08 PM
·
Rail continues to carry a larger share of the grain load, increasing sensitivity to rail capacity, labor, and pricing conditions.
January 27, 2026 11:55 AM
·
Rising import pressure and tougher export competition are likely to persist into 2026, supporting domestic supplies while capping export growth.
January 26, 2026 09:56 AM
·
