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U.S. beef demand remains strong despite export headwinds

The head of the U.S. Meat Export Federation says global demand for U.S. beef remains strong. Dan Halstrom tells Brownfield that’s a good thing for producers. “Because if you can maximize the cutout, that should put more liquidity in the supply chain,” he says.  “To incentivize producers to retain heifers and hopefully grow this herd over time.”

Beef exports did pull back last year.  “But, if you take China out on beef, we’re very close to year-ago numbers,” he says.  “That’s just a sign of how resilient beef demand is globally.”

Halstrom says he’s optimistic about 2026.  “I would be a lot more worried if 2025 if we saw base demand eroding,” he says.  “Actually, the opposite was happening.  Even though base supplies are limited, we all know they are, base demand isn’t eroding, it’s still growing.

Halstrom says any slowdown in beef exports this year would stem from continued tight supplies, not weakening demand.