The vast majority of U.S. trading partners in beef cattle and products have followed sound science and handled the April announcement of a new case of BSE in the U.S. responsibly, says Philip Seng, president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. However, he cautions that maintaining market access is only part of the battle....More

The nation’s large retailers, such as Homeplus and Lotte Mart, temporarily suspended sales of U.S. beef on Wednesday following an outbreak of mad cow disease in California....More

The US/Korean Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) took effect March 15 and kicks off a 15-year phase out of duties on U.S. beef that will decrease the current 40% tariff bite by 2.67 % annually and eventually arrive at zero in 2027. Beef-export competitor Australia is hoping to arrive at a similar agreement with South Korea but that prospect is at least a year off, an Australian expert says. And, even with a successful negotiation,Australian beef products likely face at least a 15-year disadvantage to U.S. beef products in the South Korean market....More

Agriculture has a math problem. In simple terms, the factors are 38 plus 9 billion. But while just about everyone understands that by 2050 – in just 38 years – the world population will burgeon to 9 billion people, what’s yet unknown is the effect that will have on the structure of ag markets and ag-related companies, from multi-national corporations all the way to the ranch gate....More