The dairy industry praises a bipartisan group of 26 senators for urging U.S. negotiators to address the needs of agriculture – including key dairy issues – in any free trade agreement with the European Union. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the senators noted that the United States’ share of the European agricultural import market is shrinking … Read More
Taiwan's New President May Affect Meat Trade
On this week’s audio report from the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region discusses Taiwan, which will soon be welcoming a new presidential administration. On May 20, Tsai Ing-wen will be sworn in as Taiwan’s first female president. Her party, the Democratic Progressive Party or DPP, will also hold a … Read More
NMPF Economist Talks Impact of Declining Milk Prices
Since the record highs of 2014, when milk was priced at well above 25 dollars per cwt, U.S. milk production has continued to grow at record numbers, and the USDA has projected that a record 212 billion pounds of milk will be produced in the U.S. in 2016. The demand, however, has begun to slow, and this new dynamic of … Read More
NCBA Holds Press Conference on TPP
This morning, the National Cattlemen ‘s Beef Association (NCBA) hosted a press teleconference regarding the organization’s sustained support for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Michael Froman and NCBA Vice President Kevin Kester discussed how the agriculture industry and the administration are working together to promote the TPP. Following the presser, an estimated 300 cattle … Read More
USMEF Weekly Audio Report
This week’s audio report from the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) discusses the recent showcase of U.S. beef and pork at WorldFood Uzbekistan 2016. U.S. participation in the event allowed USMEF to gain further insight into this emerging market, and was supported by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP), the Beef Checkoff Program and the Pork Checkoff. Yuri Barutkin, USMEF … Read More
Dairy Organizations Seek Congressional Support for TPP
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) sent their own letter to members of Congress urging support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement while also addressing a number of critical implementation and enforcement issues. The associations urged the federal government to ensure that the other participating countries adhere to … Read More
225 Food & Ag Groups Urge Congress to Pass TPP
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) sent a letter, along with 225 other food and agricultural companies and associations, to members of Congress calling for a vote on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). NCBA President Tracy Brunner said, “Japan is our largest export market and our Japanese customers demand high quality U.S. beef. However, … Read More
U.S. Meat Exports Sluggish In February
According to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), while February exports of U.S. pork and beef were roughly steady with last year’s volumes, export value moved lower during the month as prices continued to decline from the 2014 highs. The price reductions reflect more abundant red meat supplies and a fiercely competitive international marketplace. Pork export … Read More
USMEF Weekly Audio Report
On this week’s U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Weekly Audio Report, we hear from Dean Meyer, a corn, soybean and livestock producer from Rock Rapids, Iowa, who serves on the USMEF Executive Committee and as a director of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. Meyer recently returned from a trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia alongside a diverse delegation of agricultural … Read More
NMPF March Dairy Market Report
The National Milk Producer’s Federation (NMPF) March Dairy Market Report notes that while domestic use of milk continues to outpace production, prolonged weakness in world dairy markets is weighing more heavily on U.S. milk prices, particularly the price of skim solids. Production of the major dairy commodities is continuing to increase faster than milk output, with the exception of the … Read More