News

Nebraska Farm Bureau says states cattlemen would benefit from beef going to China

Nebraska Farm Bureau National Affairs Director Jordan Dux says a reopening of China to U.S. beef would be especially good for the state’s cattlemen.

“We definitely would like to be a part of that,” Dux told Brownfield Ag News Thursday.  “Nebraska itself ships an awful lot of beef to Hong Kong already, and from our standpoint, it would be an awfully large market for us, and given the size of Nebraska’s beef industry, being the top in the nation, we certainly would be very supportive of reopening trade if we can.”

Farm groups have urged President Trump to raise the issue of China access for U.S. beef during meetings with the Chinese President.  It was announced last fall that the more than 13-year ban would be lifted, but beef shipments to China haven’t resumed.  Last year, Nebraska cattle producers exported more than $1 billion worth of beef, but Dux says producers are going through tough economic times.

“While agriculture enjoys that trade surplus, we certainly cannot just simply sit back and rely on the markets that we already have access to,” he said.  “You always need to continue to look, expand and grow.”

Nebraska currently ranks first in commercial red meat production, cattle on feed, commercial cattle slaughter, and beef and veal exports.

AUDIO: Jordan Dux (3 min. MP3)

 

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!