U.S. Beef Exports Off Record Pace of 2018

DENVER, CO – While U.S. pork exports were posting strong results in August, beef exports were taking a breather following record-large totals one year ago. According to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), August beef exports totaled more than 114-thousand metric tons, a 4 percent decline from last year’s large volume, while export value ($690.3 million) fell 8 percent. Year to date, beef exports are slightly below last year’s record pace, down 2 percent in volume (881,526 mt) and 1 percent in value ($5.44 billion). Beef export value of fed slaughter averaged almost $299 per head in August, down 7 percent from a year ago, while the January-August average was off 3 percent to just under $310 per head. August exports also accounted for 14 percent of total U.S. beef production and 11.3 percent for muscle cuts only. Through the first eight months of the year, exports accounted for 14.2 percent of total beef production and 11.6 percent for muscle cuts.