MANHATTAN – The price and demand for U.S. beef has been on the rise and a Kansas State Extension livestock analyst says the upward trend will continue for the near future. Domestic and foreign demand remain at near-historic highs, K-State’s Glynn Tonsor said. However, Tonsor said the upward trend remains well below estimates based on historical buying trends. And he said that because the U.S. beef industry needs to make an important change because it relies so heavily on exports. The U.S. is falling well behind other beef-exporting countries in individual animal identification and traceability. And in the years ahead, he said, that will work against the U.S. producers if something doesn’t change soon. Increasingly, foreign buyers are demanding more transparent animal ID and better tracing of animals and at some point. other exporters with more sophisticated ID and tracing procedures will persuade those buyers to not buy U.S. beef, he said.
Thursday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m.
