United States beef and pork exports finished 2016 strong. U.S. Meat Export Federation CEO Phil Seng says compared to 2015 beef exports increased 11 percent in volume to 1.19 million metric tons and one percent in value to $6.34 billion. December exports were also up 24-percent year over year and the largest ever for December at a value of $619 milion. He attributes this to some key Asian markets like Taiwan, which was up 24-percent in 2016, and Japan.

He says South Korea continues to see excellent growth in U.S. exports, thanks in part to the Korean-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

Seng says pork export volume also reached a record 2.31 million metric tons in 2016, up eight percent year-over-year and two percent above the previous high in 2012. Export value increased seven percent from a year ago to nearly $6 billion. He says this illustrates the importance of trade.

Overall, exports accounted for 25.8 percent of total U.S. pork production and 13.7 percent of total U.SA. beef production in 2016.