Podcast: Strong beef, pork exports good for Nebraska

In this podcast, Mark Jagels, a farmer from Davenport and member of the Nebraska Corn Board, talks about how November's U.S. pork and beef exports reached their highest monthly totals in more than two years.

He noted that figures compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation show that beef volumes were up 32 percent from the previous November, while the value of those exports were up nearly 50 percent. Pork volumes were up 5 percent while the value was up 15 percent over November 2009.

While November sales were tremendous, sales for all of 2010 through November were also positive, he said.

The Nebraska Corn Board supports USMEF and its global marketing efforts because adding value to corn and the ethanol co-product distillers grains through beef and pork keeps Nebraska agriculture strong, especially considering that exports add nearly $120 per head of each steer and heifer marketed and nearly $40 to every hog marketed.

Jagels serves on the USMEF board of directors and in the past year his involvement with USMEF expanded when he was elected to serve on its executive committee. "It’s been 24 years since a member of the Nebraska Corn Board served on USMEF’s executive committee and I’m proud to be involved in such a position," he said.

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