Agricultural News
Quality Beef Demand in South America Drives U.S. Profits Higher
Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:32:21 CDT
Quality counts in today's worldwide beef market. In at least one South American country, quality beef imports and prices being paid are growing.
Maggie O'Guinn with Certified Angus Beef, LLC, says unbeatable quality is the reason.
"Many of the wealthy consumers in Columbia travel a lot to Miami where they are exposed to the certified Angus beef brand. They know and appreciate the value and the quality of a higher-marbled steak. And the other thing is beef is still a status symbol. Beef is the celebration protein."
Beef dishes are growing more and more prominent on wedding and banquet menus there and consumption across the board is rising.
"Believe it or not, their per capita consumption is rising a lot and is expected to be topping 30 kilos per person this year which is really exciting and good for us to grow our South American market, primarily Columbia."
O'Guinn says it is the quality of the beef that sets the U.S. product apart.
"We'll never be the low-cost producer. We'll let Brazil handle that. Our focus as the United States beef industry is quality. It's that beautifully rich marbled beef that comes from our grain feeding and it's something that our international consumers love the taste. And it's a celebratory item for them."
The increased demand for quality beef on the world market is driving profits in the U.S. beef industry ever higher.
"In 2012 the U.S. Meat Export Federation exports, as far as a dollar-per-head value back to cattlemen and women is going to be $234 per head. In January alone that return we saw on a per-head basis was $198 per head and that's up from $170 per head last January."
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
