Tighter beef supplies and strong demand have forced an uptick in beef imports.
University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says the US imported more than 350 million pounds of beef in February, nearly 24% above year-ago levels. “When you look at 2024 beef imports for the first 2 months, it’s 206 million pounds above a year ago,” he says. “It’s one way to help offset a portion of what’s shorter beef production that will continue as we go through 2024.”
He tells Brownfield importing beef from trading partners isn’t always a popular move by some in the beef industry, but it can provide some benefits.
