Record value for Mexico fuels August pork exports - USMEF

Oct 16, 2023

August exports of US pork were steady year-over-year, led by another tremendous performance in Mexico, according to data released by USDA and compiled by US Meat Export Federation (USMEF). August pork exports totalled 226,519 metric tons (mt), steady with last year, while export value fell 1.5% to $649.5 million.

Through the first eight months of 2023, pork exports were 11% above last year’s pace at 1.91 million mt, valued at $5.32 billion (up 9%).

“I cannot say enough about Mexico’s remarkable demand for US pork and the critical revenue these exports drive for the US industry,” said USMEF president and CEO Dan Halstrom.

“But the story of this year’s export growth extends well beyond Mexico, as demand is climbing in other Western Hemisphere destinations and the US industry is also achieving gains in several Asia-Pacific markets," he added.

Click here to see more...

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.