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The Midwest Cattleman · August 24, 2023 · P3

August 24, 2023 Volume 29 No. 7

ATTORNEY GENERAL AND AGRICULTURE EXPORTS MAKE IMPRESSIVE MARKET SHARE GAINS
GROUPS INVITE JOHN KERRY TO MISSOURI Beef exports totaled export value climbed 6% to
TO LEARN ABOUT AGRICULTURE 115,107 mt in June, down 12% $691.4 million, according to
from a year ago and slightly an analysis from the U.S.
Missouri Attorney Gener- emissions.” The agriculture below the May volume. Ex- Meat Export Federation.
al Andrew Bailey announced groups joining the letter in- port value was $909.5 million, Pork exports to Mexico are
recently that his office joined clude Missouri Farm Bureau, down 13% year-over-year but on a record pace, with first-
forces with statewide agri- Missouri Cattleman’s Associ- the highest since October and half value up 21% to more
culture groups to invite Spe- ation, Missouri Corn Grow- 4% above the value posted in than $1 billion, USMEF said.
cial Presidential Envoy for ers Association, Missouri May. Also posting strong year-
Climate John Kerry to Mis- Soybean Association, and Over the first half of the above-year first-half export
souri after his recent com- Missouri Pork Association. year, beef exports were 10% numbers were the ASEAN
ments demanding the United “I promised Missouri farm- below last year’s record pace region, Australia, Taiwan,
States scale back its agricul- ers on my first day in office at 669,176 mt. USMEF said the Dominican Republic, and
ture industry for its “high that I would fight for them, export value was just under Chile, while exports also post-
and that’s exactly what I’m $5 billion – down 19% from a ed gains in China/Hong Kong,
working to do,” said Attorney year ago. South Korea, and Central
General Bailey. “I’ve already “It was a challenging first America. Pork variety meat
won against the Biden Ad- half for beef exports, especial- exports surged by 32% in the
ministration’s unconstitu- ly when compared to the blis- first half to more than 297,000
tional Waters of the United tering pace established a year mt, led by record-large ship-
States rule that attempted to ago,” Halstrom said. “But we ments to China.
steal Missourians’ precious are encouraged to see that ex- “Mexico is certainly the
land. I’ll continue to stand up ports are still accounting for a 2023 pacesetter for U.S. pork
against Joe Biden’s federal consistently high percentage exports, but what’s really ex-
continued on page 14 of total beef production, and citing is that the industry is
variety meat exports have achieving such broad-based
CATTLE PRICES SOAR ON TIGHT SUPPLY held up very well considering growth internationally,” said
the decline in U.S. slaughter.” Dan Halstrom, USMEF pres-
By Carol Ryan Dumas Pork exports continued to ident and CEO. “Exports are

U.S. cattle slaughter for shine over the first half of making impressive gains in
beef production has been run- 2023. the Western Hemisphere and
ning about 6% below year- Through the first half of reclaiming market share in
ago levels, reflecting tight 2023, exports were 14% above many Asia-Pacific markets,
supplies and the drought-in- last year’s pace at 1.47 million and U.S. pork is well-posi-
duced herd contraction that mt, valued at $4.05 billion, a tioned to continue gaining
started in 2020. jump of 12%. momentum in the second
Those tight supplies are June pork exports totaled half.”
certain to continue — judg- 245,964 metric tons (mt), up
ing from the high percentage 12% from a year ago, while agupdate.com
of heifers on feed for slaugh- The tight supply of beef cattle will keep
ter. prices high this year, an analyst says.
Heifers have been close to
40% of cattle on feed for sev- inventory,” she said.
eral quarters in a row, higher There can’t be expansion
than the 35% to 36% in 2013- in the beef cattle herd until
2014, said Katelyn McCull- the heifers on feed number
och, director of the Livestock comes down, she said.
Marketing Information Cen- The heifer slaughter num-
ter. ber is down just 1% year over
“This is really going to year even though the calf Coming Sales-30
elongate … the bottom of the crop is quite a bit smaller.
cattle cycle,” she said during Lots of heifers are moving Life is Simple-5
an AgWest webinar. through the system, she said. Market Report-8
“Because we’ve taken so “What that tells us is that Agribusiness
many heifers out of the beef we’re really not going to see Directory-28
replacement system, it’s herd expansion probably
going to be tough for us to get until after 2025,” she said.
going again … to truly add continued on page 14