Source: Cow-Calf Corner is a weekly newsletter by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Agency.
Global dynamics affecting U.S. meat trade
by Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist
Plenty of dynamics are impacting U.S. and global meat markets, some of which are beginning to be revealed in U.S. meat trade data. In the latest data, May U.S. beef exports were fractionally lower, down 0.1% year over year. Total U.S. beef exports are down 3.6% so far this year with data from January – May.
Beef exports to Japan, the leading beef export market, were down by 4.9 percent year over year in May and are down 4.5% for the first five months of 2019. Beef exports to Japan are beginning to show the impact of the CPTPP, in which the U.S. does not participate, leaving the U.S. at a bigger tariff disadvantage. Beef exports continue to grow to number two market South Korea, up 10.1 year over year in May and up 11.7% so far this year. Beef export growth to South Korea is less robust so far this year compared to the past five years which have averaged over 21% growth annually. Mexico remains the third largest beef export market this year with growth of 2.9% year over year in May and 6.1% for the first 5 months of the year. Canada is the fourth largest U.S. beef export market but continues to decline. After dropping 2.9% in 2018, beef exports to Canada are down 11.5% year over year in May and are down 14.3% so far in 2019. Likewise, beef exports to Hong Kong continue to decrease, down 25.8% in May compared to last year and down 41.0% year over year for the January to May period. This follows an annual decrease of 8.5% in U.S. beef exports to Hong Kong in 2018.
U.S. beef imports are up 5.8% year over year so far in 2019, augmented by a 6.4% monthly increase in May. Canada remains the largest source of beef imports, up 9.9% in May and up 12.6% year over year for the January – May period. Australia, which dropped to number two among beef imports to the U.S. in 2017, is bouncing back with additional herd liquidation in the country fueling increased beef production and exports.
Beef imports from Australia were up 30.4% in May compared to last year and are up 14.0% year over year for the first five months of the year. This follows year over year decreases in U.S. imports of Australian beef since 2015. Beef imports from number three Mexico were up 9.7% year over year in May and are up 20.4% thus far in 2019. Beef imports from number four New Zealand are down 20.4% in May and 22.0% so far this year.
Pork exports in May were down just 0.8% year over year despite a 32.5% year over year decrease in exports to Mexico, the largest U.S. pork export market. May pork exports were boosted by a sharp jump in pork exports to China, up 94.6% for the month and up 7.2% for the year to date. Despite the continuing Chinese tariffs on U.S. pork, the massive loss in pork production in China due to African Swine Fever appears to be fueling the anticipated boost in Chinese demand for pork and other proteins. Total U.S. pork exports are down 3.8% year over year for the year to date.
Broiler exports were up 13.4% year over year in May led by an 18.1% monthly increase broiler exports to Mexico, which accounts for 21.1% of total broiler exports. Year to date broiler exports to Mexico are up 9.3% year over year. Other major broiler export markets, including Angola, Canada and Hong Kong, each of which accounts for less than 5% of broiler exports, were all down in May and so far in 2019. Year to date total broiler exports through May are up 1.6% year over year.
Broiler exports were up 13.4% year over year in May led by an 18.1% monthly increase broiler exports to Mexico, which accounts for 21.1% of total broiler exports. Year to date broiler exports to Mexico are up 9.3% year over year. Other major broiler export markets, including Angola, Canada and Hong Kong, each of which accounts for less than 5% of broiler exports, were all down in May and so far in 2019. Year to date total broiler exports through May are up 1.6% year over year.
High pressure heat domes and beef cattle
by Glenn Selk, Emeritus Extension animal scientist and the late Dr. Dave Sparks, OSU area Extension veterinarian
During the very hot, dry summer of 2011, the late Dr. Dave Sparks, Oklahoma State University Extension Veterinarian wrote a very comprehensive article about heat stress in cattle and livestock in general. Dr. Sparks’ understanding of heat stress came from years of veterinary practice in Southern Kansas and as Extension Veterinarian in Eastern Oklahoma. His thoughts seem applicable nearly every summer in Oklahoma. The following are some key excerpts from that article:
“Unlike horses and humans, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs do not sweat, at least not in amounts sufficient to be beneficial for body cooling. They maintain their body temperature at or near a constant, normal, level by panting. This moves air across the highly vascular and moist mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, and nasal passages, thus cooling the blood passing through these tissues much like the water in an engine is cooled as it passes through the radiator. For this to occur they need a lower environmental humidity and adequate water for evaporation on the surface of the membranes. If livestock are not able to maintain their normal body temperature they start to show signs of reproductive compromise first, followed by heat exhaustion at about 105 F, and cell breakdown and death at about 107 F.
In extremely hot weather it is normal for body temperatures to rise moderately above normal during the heat of the day and to cool off at night when environmental temperatures are less. It takes several hours, however for this to occur. Although air temperatures often decline in the late afternoon or evening the animal’s body temperature may not fully recover its normal level until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning after several hours of cooler temperatures. Because of this, taking the temperature to determine if an animal is sick is best done early in the morning to get a true indication. If you must “work” or handle livestock during hot weather, do it as early as possible in the morning and be finished before their body temperature starts to rise ….. “
“In hot weather the first thing to suffer in your herd is reproductive efficiency. Reproductive problems can range from poor fertility to no fertility. In some males high core body temperature causes suppression of libido, but that is only the beginning of the problems. In male mammals the testicles cannot produce or maintain sperm cells at body temperature. The scrotum is designed to keep the testicles several degrees cooler than the body’s core temperature by means of special muscles that lower the testicles away from the body as air temperature rises and pull them back closer as air temperature decreases. Also, the pampiniform plexus is a heat exchange unit that cools the blood entering the testicles. When these mechanisms are overcome by the environmental temperature problems occur. Sperm cell formation, or spermatogenesis, starts to decrease when the testicular temperature rises as little as 1/2 degree and sperm cells start to die if the testicular temperature rises as much as 2 degrees above optimum. This can be significant because if extremely hot weather causes the death or deformation of sperm in the male system it can take as long as 6 weeks for new cells to be formed and mature. This can result in a temporary sterility. Research has shown that in females, high body temperatures can result in lowered conception rates and embryonic death. Excessive heat affects embryo survival and fetal development most markedly during the first 21 to 30 days after breeding….”
When the reduced fertility of the male is multiplied by the reduced conception rate and embryo survival in the female, it becomes apparent why reproductive rates in cattle in late July and August are often quite disappointing.
Dr. Sparks understood that breeding seasons in the Southern Plains must be planned so as to avoid the mid to late summer time frame when high pressure heat domes tend to reside over this area of the United States.
Cow-Calf Corner is a weekly newsletter by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Agency.