East and Gulf coast ports secure red meat export supply chain

Jan 14, 2025
By Jean-Paul McDonald
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

ILA and USMX reach tentative six-year Labor Contract Deal

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master labor contract.

Covering East and Gulf Coast ports, the agreement will extend the current contract until the ILA’s full Wage Scale Committee and USMX members can finalize the ratification process.

"This tentative contract agreement is great news for red meat exporters and for all of U.S. agriculture," said U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom.

"The assurance that there will be no work stoppage at East and Gulf Coast ports eliminates a cloud of uncertainty and bolsters the U.S. industry's reputation as a reliable supplier of pork, beef and lamb. On behalf of USMEF’s membership, I want to thank the ILA and USMX for reaching this agreement and ensuring the continued movement of cargo."

East and Gulf Coast ports are critical to U.S. agriculture, managing 45% of pork exports and 30% of beef exports. These ports facilitate about $100 million worth of red meat shipments weekly.

In earlier discussions, USMX highlighted the importance of investing in technology and infrastructure alongside wage increases.

These investments aim to enhance safety, productivity, and efficiency, benefiting both workers and the broader industry.

“Evolving port operations and increasing wages and jobs for the ILA are not mutually exclusive. Modern technology is proven to dramatically increase the amount of cargo that can be moved through a port annually," stated the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd.

"ILA members make more money when they move more cargo, and ports need to hire more workers to manage that growth. Ultimately, these improvements serve to bolster U.S. industries by creating supply chains that are more resilient and efficient, which keeps cargo moving and helps manage costs and improves reliability for American companies that depend upon our operations every minute of every day.”

Photo Credit: gettyimages-luoman

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.