Wholesale beef and pork cutout values have made healthy gains recently—and according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), items that are typically exported have been leading the charge.
USMEF economist Erin Daley says, on the beef side, short rib values have skyrocketed to over three dollars and thirty cents per pound.
“That one cut alone is adding, currently, about 15 dollars per head on a live basis to each steer and heifer slaughtered,” Daley says. “We’ve seen strong demand in the greater China region, including Vietnam, as well as Japan and Taiwan—and so competition between those countries, and also Korea, is supporting the short rib values and chuck values, in general.”
And Daley says there is good news on the pork side as well.
“We’ve seen a lot of strength coming from those export items—particularly hams,” she says. “Prices are essentially double what they were a year ago. So the ham cutout is nearly 80 cents a pound.”
Daley says Mexico is, by far, the largest market for hams. Through February, exports to Mexico are up 22 percent on the year—and that’s compared to record growth in 2009.
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